Where is My Romeo
by Plunk626
Summary: The Senior play production of Romeo and Juliet has just started with Buffy and Angel cast as the leading roles. However, when Angel gets sick she has to put up with his replacement...Spike. FUNNY!
1. It Starts

Story: Everyone is human. The Senior play has been chosen and it's Romeo and Juliet. Buffy gets cast as the lead and so does her love interest Angel Connors. Unfortunately Angel gets knocked out for the count and his replacement is… Spike.

Chapter One

Sunnydale was covered with light as the mid afternoon sunshine leered in the sky. Xander, Buffy, Willow and Oz were walking through the school parking lot to Oz's not so trendy van.

"I can't believe it. It's unbelievable. The believing is un."

"The believing is un?" Xander asked his overly excited friend.

"Unbelievable. It's un."

"That's really great Buffy. I'm happy you got the lead," Willow supported, leaning against her boyfriend Oz's shoulder.

"I know and especially when all I wanted was a not extremely tiny part. And me, Buffy, was chosen as Juliet. And Cordelia, Miss Queen of the Universe, wasn't."

"She is playing your mom though."

"Way to be the downer Xander," Buffy accused. "Or should I say Mercutio."

"I'm not being a downer, I'm just looking out for your well being. Cordelia may sneak up behind you one day during practice, spit an alien into your face that'll burst through your chest and kill you, setting loose another alien life form that could attack anyone. And I have this thing with aliens bursting through my chest. It's called fear of death."

"It's nice to see you aren't being dramatic," Oz stated as he opened the passenger door for Willow. She gave him a smile and kiss as payment.

Xander swung open the side door and stepped in, cutting Buffy off. She looked at him with a shocked face. He looked up and took notice. "What?" Buffy just stood there with her hip out to the left and eyes going from the door to Xander. "Did you want something?"

Buffy sighed and got in. "It's all right Xander, I guess chivalry as far as you're concerned is dead."

"What'd _I_ do?"

Oz pulled up in front of the Summers household and Buffy bolted from the backseat. Without shutting the door she ran into her home and to the kitchen. "Mom guess what?"

Joyce was in the middle of eating her chicken sandwich and was quite taken off guard. She quickly wiped her mouth with her napkin and asked, "What is it sweetie?"

"Today was try outs for the Senior play which is Romeo and Juliet."

"And you got a part," Joyce finished with a smile.

"No. I got _the_ part. I am Juliet. The only thing better is Romeo and that's just because his name comes first in the title."

"That's wonderful." Joyce gave her daughter a big hug. "I'm so proud of you. Congratulations."

"And what's even better is that Angel Connors is playing Romeo."

"Who's Angel Connors?"

"Only the hunkiest hunk of hunkdom there is at Sunnydale high."

"And again with the congrats," her mother said. "So when does this play open? I want to star and circle the date on my calendar." She walked over to her sandwich and took another bite.

"I don't know. Mom, I got the lead, there was no way I was going to hear anything after that."

"So as long as you got the part, people seeing you isn't a big deal."

"When did you adopt my sarcasm?"

"I learn from the best. Oh, when are rehearsals? I want to know when I need to have the car," Joyce said with a smile.

"Ha ha. Someone slip some hilarious pills in your coffee this morning."

"I'm just naturally hilarious." They shared a slight chuckle. "Did anyone else try out for the play?"

"Well Willow and Oz aren't the acting type. She's assistant to the main operator person and Oz is helping to build sets. Oooo, Xander got the part of Mercutio."

"Good for him."

"Miss Annoying is my mom though. That kinda sucks, but the fact that Angel is Romeo so keeps the scales in my favor."

"That's great Buffy. I'm glad you're getting involved with more school activities. It is your senior year."

"And I'm one of the stars of the play. Nothing can go wrong. I'm on Cloud Nine and there's nothing but sunshine."

The next day, at three o'clock, students streamed into the school auditorium for the first day of rehearsal. Mr. Giles was waiting patiently on the stage for everyone to stop fumbling over seats and gabbing about their days. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Good afternoon everyone. For those of you who don't know, I am Mr. Giles and I am the head coordinator of this production of Romeo and Juliet. I will start off by forewarning you that the play we will be performing is not the Shakespeare version that you may or may not have become accustom to. We thought we'd take it easy on you and not give you as many lines to remember." Everyone just stared at him. "I was actually expecting some 'yea's or 'whoo's."

"Whoo!" some random kid yelled from the back.

"Thank you." He cleared his throat and adjusted his average frames. "Also, my assistant will be Miss Willow Rosenburg. Willow?" Giles said, motioning for her to stand.

Willow's eyes widened in horror as she slowly rose from the itchy seat. Everyone looked at her as she stood like she was on display. She counted to three and dropped back into her chair.

"Now, I have the scripts lying right here so if you will all please form an orderly line, I will hand them to you one by one." Everyone stood from their seats and bombarded the stage. The scripts were ripped from Giles's hand as if they were winning lottery tickets. Once each of the student's hands contained a script they sat back down in their seats. Giles straightened his sweater vest and glasses. "Now, I would first like to establish the main characters of the play so I can learn some faces. When I call your role please come up to the stage." Giles flipped to the second page of the script and started reading off the roles. "Romeo Montague."

Angel rose from his seat and ran up the five stairs to rest on the stage.

"Juliet Capulet."

Buffy leaped from her chair and walked nonchalantly to the stage. She didn't want to seem desperate. She stood right next to Angel. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied with a smile.

_Oh my God. He just said 'hey.' And he smiled!_

Once Giles read off the rest of the bigger parts he stopped and took a look at the students standing before him. The librarian walked over to Cordelia and said, "You don't look familiar."

"I have a life," she answered sternly.

Giles's jaw tightened as he continued his sweep of his "talent." "Well, let's get started shall we. Juliet and Romeo if you could rehearse your first scene together in the seating area while we run through the beginning that would be perfect. Oz, please gather the crew and figure out what we'll need for set designs and Willow come with me." Everyone did as they were told, Buffy bearing the biggest grin of all.

Angel picked the seats that were in the middle of the room and Buffy sat a seat away from him. Again, don't want to seem desperate. "I don't bite," he said with a smile. She chuckled and moved over towards him. "Much better. All right, now let's get this party started."

Just as they were sorting through the pages a blonde bearing jeans and a black t-shirt approached them. They looked up at the figure before them. "Do you want something Spike?" Buffy asked.

"Giles asked me to sit with you guys since I'm the understudy."

"Understudy?" Buffy asked. "Like, if something happens to Angel-"

"I'm his replacement."

Buffy made a disgusted face. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"What's that s'posed to mean?"

"That means you're not the play type."

Angel looked at the two of them. "I'm sensing some tension between you two."

"No tension. Just disgust," Buffy answered. "This kid has made it a personal goal to annoy me until the end of my high school days."

"Who said I was stoppin' at high school?"

"My restraining order."

"Hey Buffy," Xander greeted, catching onto the friendship signals of panic (raised voices). "Angel. Satin."

"Oh," Spike said, clutching his chest, "Geek boy insulted me. How will I ever go on?"

"Hopefully not breathing."

"I'm gonna go see if Giles needs any help," Angel suggested, wanting to get away from this situation.

"No, Angel. Wait." Angel jogged down the aisle to the stage. Buffy sighed and fell back in her seat. "What the hell is your problem?"

"You."

"Then why are you here?" she said through gritted teeth.

"I'm the understudy."

"Oh, so you're not good enough to be the first choice."

Spike's face contorted into one of frustration before he pushed off the seat and walked away.

"Well, that was pleasant," Xander said.

"Do you understand how serious the situation is?"

"There's a situation?"

"If anything happens to Angel. A cold, an F, a hangnail, Spike will be his replacement. I may have to kiss that thing."

"Well, I guess it's only fitting since this is a tragedy. And apparently a comedy. I fail to see the humor in self mutilation and two horny teenagers."

"Have you even read the play before?" Buffy questioned.

"Of course," he said assuringly. Buffy gave him her look of disbelief. "If by read you mean skim and by skim you mean looked at the cover and amount of pages before putting it back on the shelf."

"No, your basic definition of reading."

"Then no."

"If Angel has to bow down, you'll have to be Rosemary's baby's best friend."

"What?" Xander exclaimed.

"Only until you die."

"I die!"

"Because my cousin kills you. Well actually it's pretty much Romeo's fault."

"My best friend kills me? What kind of friend is that?"

"You should read the play," Buffy suggested.

"What's the point, I know I die. Life just lost all meaning."

"You do know you aren't literally dying."

"Buffy I would like to be alone right now," Xander said with a hint of tears.

Buffy rolled her eyes and went to the stage to meet up with Angel.

Author's Note: Well, I hope you like it. It's gonna get funnier, I promise! And if you thought it was funny then you may want your sides stitched up so they don't explode out of your body. Wow, do I sound very full of myself. I'm sorry, I'm just trying to make sure you don't read this and then click out of it without ever wanting to read my words again. And here I go babbling, again with the sorry. Please keep reading and reviews are always appreciated.


	2. Background Check

Chapter Two

Buffy meandered on the stage and spotted Angel standing next to Willow. They were laughing about something which distracted the "actors" on stage.

"What's so funny?" Jonathan asked, unsure if they were laughing at him. "Is my fly unzipped?" He frantically checked his fly which was securely zipped and then started looking on his back for a sign purposely taped there baring an embarrassing phrase. If you haven't noticed, Jonathan isn't exactly the most popular kid in school unless it comes to torment.

"All right, can we get through this play at least until the end of the party scene so I can see how all of you act and move? So please, if you're not on stage you must be quiet." All the students' eyes were resting on the librarian who many of them had only seen once in their high school career. "Now, continue."

Buffy amble over to Giles and stood right next to him. As she watched the four boys on stage she said, "You're loving this aren't you?"

"Yes I can hardly wait for the time costumes come in and the girls complain about their figures and the boys complain about wearing velvet," Giles sarcastically commented.

"Oh come on, you can't tell me you're at least a little happy you can tell us what to do."

"This is Principal Snyder's idea of a joke. Unfortunately for me he has a distorted sense of humor."

"I also liked your whole 'learn how you act and move' shpeal. I thought you were incapable of saying BS."

"The only thing I'm incapable of doing is keeping composure over this travesty of a play." Giles realized what he said and he looked at Buffy who gave him a shocked look. "Except you Buffy. You're doing fantastic."

"I haven't even done anything yet," she said with a smile, catching him in his sad use of lying. Buffy caught a glimpse of Angel sitting front and center and Cordelia was making her way over to him. "I'll catch ya later Giles."

"So Angel, it's pretty great that you got the part of Romeo. They usually cast people with no talent as the lead roles."

"Cordelia, or should I say mom?" Buffy said as she stood off to Angel's left.

"Case and point," Cordelia said with a smile to Angel.

"I'm surprised you haven't dropped out because you didn't get the lead. That's very big of you."

"Oh Buffy, I'm here as your back up for when you freeze on stage. Or when they realize you're not that great an actress. Whichever comes first."

Xander slid over to them because they were coming close to disrupting production again. "Hey can you two take the cat fight outside?"

"That's funny I don't remember asking for your half sense Harris."

"Ouch Cordelia. If I really cared what you had to say that might've torn me up inside."

"Xander!" Willow yelled. Everyone's eyes were on her which made her take a few steps back. "You're up," she forced out before scooting off the stage.

"Time for my close up."

"That means I'm up soon too," Angel said, standing from his chair.

"Good luck," Buffy smiled.

"Thanks."

Twenty minutes later they reached the party scene and next was when Romeo met Juliet. Buffy's blood started pumping faster and her temperature felt like it rose about a hundred degrees. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself down. How embarrassing would it be to faint in the middle of a line? Then again it would give Angel a chance to catch her.

Buffy snapped out of her thoughts when Xander nudged her to go out on the stage. She walked over to Angel and they started swapping lines, paying more attention to their scripts than each other. He was about to kiss her when Giles said, "That's all for now. Thank you everyone for a great first day of rehearsal and I will see you all here tomorrow after school."

Everyone cheered and quickly gathered their things before bursting through the auditorium doors. Buffy stormed over to Giles and asked, "What is wrong with you? Did I do something to make you hate me?"

"We're half an hour over schedule and you have a job to do."

Buffy gritted her teeth and let out a small burst of irritation. She grabbed her book bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Hey Buffy do you need a ride?" Willow asked as she slipped on her red coat.

Buffy watched Angel take his time in placing the script in his bag and looking at his schedule to see what homework he needed to do. "No, I'll be fine."

"All right. See ya tomorrow." Willow took Oz's hand and they left.

Buffy walked passed Angel and waited for him to come out the school doors. Once he stepped foot on the white cement she looked from side to side as if she was waiting for someone.

Angel took notice and asked, "You all right Buffy?"

"Yea. My mom's just running unusually late."

"Well, do you need a ride home?"

"No, I'm sure-" Buffy reached in her coat pocket for her cell phone which wasn't ringing or vibrating, "that's her now." She flipped open her phone and had a conversation with her opening screen. "Hi mom… Oh no… No that's okay… Yea I'll make it home… Kay, bye." She flipped her phone closed and returned it to her pocket.

"Is she okay?"

"Yea she just got a flat tire."

"So you do need a ride," Angel said with a white smile.

"No I can walk."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can give you a ride." Angel pulled his keys out of his pocket which dangled from a Sunnydale University chain.

"Okay. I live on Revello Drive, it's near Hadley."

"I know where that is." They made their way to his red Stratus which shone like plastic. The interior was black of coarse with a cd player and extra speakers that all the popular boys had in their cars. Buffy placed her bag in the surprisingly clean backseat and buckled herself into the security of Angel's car.

Angel started the small talk as they drove through the town. "So is your dad too busy working to pick you up?"

"My Dad's too busy thousands of miles away to pick me up. He's in LA."

"Ah, child of divorce," Angel said with a small smirk.

"My name would be found under that category. Have you traveled the dusty highway of joint custody?"

"Nope. I have the white picket fence and both parents. But I'd rather they were split up. They never talk and when they do it's an argument. And they think I don't know that my father sleeps in the guest room every night."

Buffy pursed her lips and kept her eyes on his expressions. He seemed like he was okay with it. Maybe he learned the hard way that he couldn't make them do something they didn't want to so he just accepted the fact that they were no longer "together." "I'm sorry."

"I'm fine with it. I mean, I'm not fine with it but I've learned to deal." Angel turned down one of the side roads. "Off the subject of parents, what did you think of Geometry today?"

Buffy looked at him with delighted surprise. "You know I'm in your Geometry class?"

"I see you walk in everyday."

A wide smile appeared on Buffy's face. "I figured you were too busy with your groupies to notice me."

"Third seat…fourth row from the door," Angel spoke.

"Yea." _Is it possible he looks like he's having as much fun with me as I am with him? He's always smiling._ Buffy looked out her window at the familiar street and spotted her house. "This is me."

Angel pulled to the side of the road and leaned over to get a look at her house. "It's nice."

"It's not bad." She grabbed her bag and tossed it over her shoulder. "Thanks for the ride."

"No problem."

Buffy strolled up the paved walk that led to her front steps.

"Hey Buffy!" She turned on announcement. "See ya in Geometry."

Buffy smiled and nodded as she returned her attention to her front door. When she opened the door she heard Angel's car speed off down the road. She dropped her bag on the floor and leaned against the door. This was one of the best days of her life.

A minute later, with Buffy still leaning against the door, it was pushed open. "Ow!"

"Oh goodness," she heard her mother say. Buffy stood up and moved away from the door. "Buffy. What're you doing in front of the door?"

"Today was our first rehearsal and afterwards I got a ride home with Angel."

"The hunkiest hunk of hunkdom at Sunnydale High?" Joyce asked, bringing the paper bag she was carrying into the kitchen.

"One and the same."

"That's great. So when is he coming over for dinner?" Buffy's face contorted into one of confusion. Joyce smiled as she looked at her daughter's expression. "I was kidding."

Buffy smiled sarcastically. "Did I mention I don't like how you're funny today?"

Joyce smiled in return and continued putting groceries away.

About a half an hour later Buffy decided to go for a walk around town. She started off by going down her street, the way Angel drove off. _Was that history homework do tomorrow or Monday? Maybe I should call Willow- oh shoot I forgot my cell phone. I'll have to call her when I get back home. Maybe Xander will- nope, not even gonna finish that thought.… Duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh._ Buffy started to play the Batman theme in her head. As Buffy's eyes were fixed on the ground she ran into another body. "I'm sorry, I-" _Oh my God!_

"Buffy?"

"Angel. What're you doing three blocks over from my house?"

"I live five blocks down that way," he said, pointing over his shoulder.

"Denison?"

"Yeah."

"That's where all those three story houses with iron gates are," she said as if he made a mistake.

"That would be the street. Why do you have issues with that street?"

"No, it's just…"

"They're really fancy houses and that means I should be a rich Abercrombie and Fitch boy?" Angel finished.

"No, not at all. I just didn't know your parents had that kind of…" Buffy let out a small life, embarrassed for talking about money. "I'm sorry this is making me sound really superficial."

"It's all right. I'm used to it. Well, the girls being flush and embarrassed around me thing."

Buffy gawked at him. "Excuse me? I am not getting flush Mr. Big Ego. And who says 'flush?'"

"High society," he said with a chuckle. "It's not really all it's set up to be."

"I heard. Yea, some weird guy gave me a ride home today and was complaining about that."

"That's interesting because today I drove this neurotic girl home and she seemed a little on edge. Maybe she has ADD or something."

"What a coincidence." They both laughed, looking at the ground for a moment but then looking back up at each other. "So how excited are you about being Romeo?"

"I'm more excited than a guy would admit. It's nice to be recognized for talent as opposed to looks because you know how girls are in school they just swoon over the buff arms and six pack abs."

"Which one of your friends would that be?"

"Ha ha," Angel commented Buffy's jest. "But seriously I just wanted to do it so it would be something different. Very out of the ordinary. Now all the guys on the team are getting parts and doing something to help with the production. They're just as bad as the girls, maybe even worse."

"I don't know about that, you've never been in the girl's bathroom." Angel gave her a questionable look. "Okay, I guess you have but not during gossip breaks. I never heard one name said so much in conversation since J. Lo got her second divorce."

Angel smiled and nodded while scratching the back of his head. "So, where were you headed?"

"No place particular. I got about half an hour left until I have to-," luckily Buffy caught herself before she said the word 'patrol', "start rehearsing lines with my mom. She's very supportive."

"Do you wanna take a walk to _Café Latté_?"

"With you?"

"That was the idea."

Buffy was a little shocked, the only thing keeping her from pinching herself was the fear of looking like an idiot in front of him. "Okay."

**Author's Note:** Oh the false hope that Buffy's gonna end up with Angel. Never in my stories.


	3. Disaster Strikes

Chapter Three

Buffy and Angel were laughing amiably as they made their way up Revello Drive, Styrofoam coffee cups in hand. She stepped on her front porch, making sure to swing around to keep eye contact.

"Thanks for keeping me company," Angel obliged.

"No problem. Thanks for the Mocha Latté."

"You're welcome." They stood there awkwardly for a minute. What exactly do you say when you need to go back home but you really don't want to?

"Well I should-"

"Me too, I gotta-"

"Yea. Well, thanks again and I'll see you at rehearsal Sunday."

"Maybe sooner."

Buffy displayed a coy smile. "Maybe." She turned and entered her house. Keeping a tight grip on her coffee she pushed her back against the door and slid down to the floor.

"Buffy?" Joyce called down the stairs. She descended halfway and noticed her daughter was in the same place she found her earlier. "Why are you leaning against the door?"

"Buffy isn't here right now. Please leave a message," she said in a dreamy tone.

"Is that from _Café Latté_? I thought you hated coffee."

"I do. Do you want it?" Buffy asked, snapping out of her daze.

"What is it?"

"Iced Mocha Latté."

"No thank you. Giles has been looking for you young lady."

"I love how I'm referred to as 'young lady' when something bad happens. Or Buffy Anne Summers if it's really bad." She traced the rim of her cup with the tip of her pointer finger.

"He called twice looking for you. You were supposed to meet up with him in one of the graveyards and patrol with him tonight." Joyce was opening cupboards trying to figure out what to make herself for dinner. Obviously her daughter wasn't going to be there.

"Oh!" Buffy exclaimed, quickly rising from the floor. She opened the door and ran down the street.

"You're late," Giles said as Buffy paced towards him.

"I know. But I brought you a nice beverage," she spoke with a can't-be-mad-at-me-for-too-long smile.

Giles grinned as he took the cup. "Thank you." He took a sip and immediately spit it out. "What is this?"

"It's an Iced Mocha Latté."

"A what?"

"It's an enriched coffee blend that gives you the finest fresh mocha flavors with a cool refreshing effect." Buffy remembered it word for word as it was written on the board.

"Coffee isn't supposed to be cool. It's supposed to be hot and taste like coffee, which I don't care for by the way."

"I'm sorry I forgot to check your list of preferences while unselfishly ordering you something. Maybe I'm trying to broaden your restrained English horizons."

"My horizons are at a comfortable distance thank you very much and there is a vampire coming up right behind you."

"Just because I'm late that doesn't mean my senses are off." Buffy welcomed him with a spin kick to his face. "Since we're voicing our opinions I would like to suggest rehearsal everyday." She punched the vamp in the face and then elbowed his stomach.

"That isn't possible. People have jobs and families to tend to."

"But doing this play to its utmost…mostness we should have more time to prepare." The vampire placed one hand on her shoulder and the other through her legs and held her over his head. He was just about to break her back over a gravestone when she tossed her body weight back as she bent his fingers in the opposite direction. She fell like a pack of dirt and quickly swiped his legs out from under him. She whipped out a stake from Giles's coat and then drove it into his chest.

"And you're unprepared," he observed.

It was one in the afternoon on Sunday and Buffy arrived at the auditorium bright and early. Willow and Xander took their respectable spots next to Buffy as Oz worked backstage on the props. When Giles stepped out on the stage Buffy did a quick pan of the room, noticing the absence of the one person who she wanted to be there the most.

"Good afternoon everyone. It's nice to see you remembered the schedule and are here on time. I just received a call from Angel Connors and he will be missing practice today, so Spike will stand in as Romeo when needs be." Giles took notice of the disgusted face Buffy displayed. "So let's get started with the ballroom scene." Her face instantly became one of panic.

Buffy rose from her seat and ran onto the stage. "Giles, what're you doing?"

"I'm waiting for you to start the scene."

"Yes, but you're asking me to participate in something where Spike is my significant other. I can't do that."

"Buffy, it's only for one day."

"Have you even read this play? Do you know what Romeo and Juliet do in this scene?"

"They meet each other for the first time."

"Yes, and they greet each other with tongues. I am not kissing him!" she exclaimed in a low voice as she pointed to the 'him' that was across the stage.

"You're on Buffy," Willow said, making sure she knew what was going on.

"Willow, please tell Giles that I can't kiss Spike."

"Hello!" Cordelia proclaimed from the sudience. "We don't have all day Buffy. Some of us want a chance to rehearse too."

"Just gon out there and read the script," Giles requested.

"You have no idea what you're-"

"Excuse me," Spike intervened, "but you are needed on the stage because this scene is between the two of us. I know you're not exactly joyous about me playing Romeo but get over your pathetic grudge and rehearse this scene."

"You're loving this aren't you?"

"Yea I'm really looking forward to locking lips with an annoying wannabe with bad hair." With that Spike walked back on stage and waited for Buffy to follow. She tightly clenched her fist and walked out on stage with her script in hand. She walked over to Spike, eerily placing her hand in his.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand  
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:  
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand  
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,  
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;  
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,  
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;  
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take." Spike moved in to give her a kiss and Buffy swerved out of the way. "Are you kiddin' me?"

"What? We don't have to kiss now."

"I'm sure if I were Angel you'd be singing a different tune."

"As if it's hard to see why."

"Actually it is. What does he have? What's so special about him?"

"Uh, let's move forward to a new scene," Giles said, stepping out on the stage. He grasped Buffy's right arm and pulled her in close. "Buffy, is it too hard for you to compose yourself for one moment?"

"But he-"

"Buffy," Giles said in his disappointed and exhausted tone; it always made her felt deficient.

"I'm sorry."

"Excuse me, Mr. Librarian?' Cordelia called.

"Yes Cordelia."

"Is it at all possible for Buffy to keep her melodramatic problems to herself during rehearsing hours?" Giles looked at Buffy who gave him an awkward look and then shot it at Cordelia. "And also, can we get to another scene with me in it? I'm the mother remember?"

"Exactly, the mother. One of the secondary roles," Buffy said condescendingly.

"Who slipped you a bowl of Bitch Flakes this morning?"

"I believe that was you. You must've been full." With that Buffy walked off the stage and left the building.

Buffy strolled down Denison Avenue looking for Angel's car in one of the driveways. Finally she spotted it parked in front of a white house with a big iron gate fence and freshly cut grass that was so perfect it looked fake. Before approaching the door she ran her fingers over the lawn. It _felt_ real at least. She pushed the doorbell which emanated a low bell tower noise.

The door opened and revealed a curly, brown haired woman in a flower dress and apron. "Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Buffy Summers. I go to Sunnydale High with Angel."

"Oh."

"I was just wondering if he was okay."

"Of coarse. Why wouldn't he be?"

Buffy was a little perplexed. His mom really was crazy? "He didn't show up for rehearsal today."

"Well you can't have a Romeo with a cast on his leg now can you," she said with a smile.

"Cast?"

"From football last night. One of the boys from the opposite team landed right on his leg and snapped the thing in two."

Buffy's eyes widened in fear for herself. "He's in a cast?"

"Yes. When bones break you put them in a cast." The woman looked at Buffy like she was the one with the problem. She was the one who was all chipper while her son was wearing a cast! "Would you like to go see him?"

"No that's okay. I'm sure he's tired."

"No he just got up actually. Come on in," the woman lightly placed her hand on her arm and nudged her inside. Buffy started to get a little freaked out. Sure you can have three vampires come up to her and her heart doesn't miss a beat but you pull her into a house with a scary robotic type woman and she starts to go off the charts. "It's right up those stairs, go right and then it's the first door on the left."

"Okay." Buffy quickly made her way up the stairs and to Angel's room. "You're mom is scary," she whispered.

Angel was caught off guard by her sudden appearance. "Hey, and yea. She's just upset about it and decided to overdo it with the happy pills." He tried to pull himself up to a sitting stance and his face contorted into one of pain.

"Are you okay?"

"Besides a broken leg bone I'm peachy with a side of keen."

Buffy gritted her teeth. "I feel so bad."

"Don't."

"Not about you. But that's why I feel bad. You're the one with the broken bone but all I'm thinking is now I have to kiss Spike. A lot of times."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault. You didn't ask the guy to fall on your leg."

"If I did I sure didn't mean to. It's the biggest pain having a cast because you're just not the same person any more. I can't go running, I can't play football and I can't do the play. I _am_ coming to see it though."

_Yea, that'll make it easier on me. Damnit Buffy, the guy's in a cast! Stop being selfish!_ "I should get going, I promised to help my mom with some museum stuff. I hope you feel better. I'll see you in school?"

"Maybe."

Buffy inhaled deeply. The cruel irony. "Okay. Bye." She walked down the hall slowly and then meandered down the stairs.

"Done already?" his mom asked.

_Oh no!_ "Yea I gotta go. But thanks!" Buffy hustled out the door and bolted down the street. Thank God for her Slayer quickness.

An hour later Xander and Willow showed up on her doorstep. "Hi Willow. Xander," Joyce greeted with a smile.

"Hi Joyce," they said in unison.

"Buffy's upstairs moping in her room."

"Thanks." Again in unison.

Buffy was lying on her stomach on her bed, reading the script pages. "Hey Buffy," Willow greeted. "You left early."

"Yea, I had to get out of there."

"Everyone wants it to declare it National Buffy Day for giving Cordelia a piece of her lack of mind," Xander informed.

"Good for me," she said blandly.

"What's wrong," Willow asked with concern.

"Angel's in a cast." Both Willow and Xander displayed shock. "He won't be able to be in the play. That means Spike's gonna play Romeo." Her body did a quick shake as if she got a cold chill.

"Oh no."

Xander left a minute of silence before saying, "I think this situation deserves a nice scoop of pineapple and pistachio ice cream." Willow and Buffy gave Xander the usual look they provided when he ordered that at the ice cream shop. "Just for me."

"I could use some comfort food," Buffy stated before closing the book.

"Of coarse it's going to be a problem. I hate him. Neither of you like him do you?"

"No way."

"Of course not," Willow assured.

"I have to kiss him now. Every time we rehearse and then for the play for the three nights that it's shown. Not to mention all the lines I have to know. Xander only has to learn one big monologue."

"Mmhmm," he said with a nod, not fully catching what she said. "What!" he exclaimed.

"Your monologue you do to Romeo about Queen Mab."

"No one said anything about a monologue."

"Xander you ran through it the other day," Buffy exerted.

"No we skipped over a bunch because Giles wanted to see you and Angel interact."

"I love how you have a script for one week and you don't even look at it unless you have to. It's not even easy language to memorize."

"I don't want a monologue. Giles should take it out. He said there are less lines."

"You can't cut out that speech, it's very important."

"Now it's an important speech?"

Over Xander's panic came a voice. "It is my lady. It is my love." Buffy clenched her teeth and turned around. "Heard about Angel's mishap."

"You seem happy."

"I just got bumped up to the biggest role of the play."

"Bigger part means more lines," Xander remarked.

"Unlike your pea sized brain, I'm capable of memorizing things."

"Ya know what…," Xander started, "I'm not even gonna give that a come back. But don't think I don't have one."

"So, Juliet. Are you excited?"

"I'm excited about all the barf that'll end up on you if you ever touch me."

Spike placed his hand around her waist and pulled her in. "How's about a kiss fair Juliet?"

"Kiss this." Buffy kneed him right inn the groin. Spike's hand fell from around her body and curled up into a ball on the sidewalk.

"Oooooo, Buffy. I'm not a fan of the guy either but have some respect for the genitalia," Xander said with remorse.

"If you ever try that again, you'll be the next student who ends up in a cast," Buffy threatened. She turned on her heel and walked away, Willow and Xander glaring back once and awhile to see if Spike was still moving.


	4. New Insight

Chapter Four

Buffy slowly walked up her front steps left devoid of any feeling. It was like she was outside her body yet her body still knew how to move and function. Her hand turned the doorknob and she went inside. Her feet led her to the couch where she plopped down. It was the most uncomfortable she ever remembered the couch being but she had no urge to stand up and move.

"Buffy?" Joyce called. "Is that you?" Joyce descended the stairs and saw her daughter sprawled on their living room sofa. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She sat next to Buffy and brushed her blonde hair from her face.

"No. My dreams of being the lead and starting a romantic relationship with Angel are now dashed into a million little pieces."

"What happened?"

"Angel broke his leg at a football game so now he can't do the play. That means that his understudy gets to take over the role of Romeo and that would be Spike."

"The boy who lives next door?"

"We're still waiting for the test results to come in to confer that." Joyce gave her daughter a puzzling look. "That's the expression I've had on all day."

"Buffy," Joyce said in her motherly voice, "you do know that plays are for entertainment purposes and for building new social ties, not for hooking up with boys."

"Since when?" she asked in an are-you-kidding-me tone.

Joyce exhaled. "Sweetheart, I know this may seem like the world is ending but that's just because you're a teenager."

"Mom, I've seen the end of the world ploys and this is nothing like that. At least when the world was going to end I got to kick some demon ass."

"When was there an end of the world thing?" Joyce asked, her fearful motherly instincts kicking in.

"What?" Buffy asked, playing dumb.

"What end of the world thing are you talking about? I didn't hear anything about this."

"I…" Just then the phone rang and Buffy sprang to the task of answering it. "It's probably Giles." She picked up the receiver and said, "Hello?… Hi Giles… No I can be there in five minutes… Okay bye." Buffy hung up the phone and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek. "I gotta go to Giles'."

"Is it an end of the world thing?" Joyce asked.

"No, I gotta go." Buffy shut the door behind her and ran down the sidewalk. When she was out of view of her house she slowed down her pace. The sun was beginning to set so she could start checking out graveyards and working out her aggression.

The next thing Buffy knew it was Tuesday and time for another rehearsal. Willow and Oz were lip locking backstage as Xander and Cordelia argued about his breathing too loud and her talking too much.

Buffy approached Giles who was frantically flipping through pages on his clipboard. "Hello Mr. Efficient."

Giles looked up and saw his Slayer giving him a cheerful smile. "Hello Buffy. If you're here to ask me for a rewrite I will guarantee disappointment now."

"No, no rewrites. Just recasting."

"I would like to point out to you that you seem to be the only one who doesn't care for the casting of this play. If you'd like I'll make Cordelia Juliet and you can be the mother. You'll have fewer lines to learn and therefore more time for training." He returned his gaze to his clipboard and started scribbling on the paper with his black pen.

"I love how you always look out for my well being Giles," Buffy sarcastically commented.

"I'm going to need you onstage for the death scene between the two of you."

"Can we at least not start with a kissing scene? Maybe a part where Juliet punches Romeo or stabs him in the heart."

Giles' clipboard dropped to his side and he removed his glasses. "Buffy, I have exactly two months to put on a play that I didn't care to be responsible for in the first place. I need to check and make sure there are costumes and then size them only to hear students complaining about how they look and were a 'size four yesterday' when all I want is to sit down, read a book on Demonology and drink some tea. So please, go play dead on stage," he yelled.

Buffy's eyes widened and she followed his orders. _Scary Giles. Like Jeckyl Giles. Or is it Hyde?_ Buffy laid down on the supplied table, undoubtedly from the cafeteria, that was in the center of the stage.

Spike walked out and started reading from the script:

"For fear of that, I still will stay with thee;

And never from this palace of dim night

Depart again: here, here will I remain

With worms that are thy chamber-maids; O, here

Will I set up my everlasting rest

And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars

From this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last!

Arms, take your last embrace! And, lips, O you

The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss."

As Spike went in for the kiss Buffy turned her head so he kissed her cheek. "Buffy!" Giles exclaimed. "You're dead."

"I don't want him to kiss me."

"Like I want to kiss you," Spike said matter of factly.

"Well you aren't exactly holding back from the fact."

"I'm following the play. It says 'Romeo kisses Juliet,' which means I kiss you. It has nothing to do with my personal choice. If I had it my way, _I'd_ be the one to kill you." Spike turned his back to her and walked to the other side of the stage.

"I can handle a kissing scene," Cordelia chimed in.

Giles looked at her and then to Buffy. Buffy rolled her eyes and then lied back down on the table. "All right. Fine. I'll let him kiss me."

"Don't make it sound like you're doin' me a favor."  
"Just come over here and read the stupid lines."

"Don't tell me what to do," Spike objected.

"Stop being a jerk."

"Stop being a brat."

Buffy sat up and yelled, "I am not being a brat!"

"No, you're just being ungrateful, annoyin' and a pain in my ass."

Giles went to head for the stage but Xander held him back. "What're you doing?"

"I'm going to stop this?"

"Why? I'm ready to bust out the popcorn."

Buffy was now off the table and about two feet from Spike. "Oh please, like you're God's gift."

"No, that's you. You think the bleedin' sun rises and falls on you."

"Just because I decide to pay a James Dean wannabe no attention, does not mean I am self-centered. If anyone fits under that category it would be you. You think you're so special with your leather coat and peroxide hairdo but all you are is pathetic."

"And you're the picture of perfection?" Spike walked right up to her, his face bent down so they were practically touching noses. "Listen here Bimbo Barbie, I would love to have nothin' more to do with you but seein' as I'm the new Romeo and you're still Juliet, I guess that's not gonna happen now is it?"

"Which you were pretty happy about by the way."

Spike threw his arms up in frustration with her higher than all attitude. He turned to face her, now five feet away from her. "Do you think that everyone wants to be with you? Last I checked Angel wasn't exactly jumpin' at the fact of havin' to kiss you."

"Shut up Spike!"

"Oh. I struck a nerve did I?" he said in a sexy undertone as he staggered towards her.

"You're hitting every one. Just shut up."

"What're ya gonna do? Hit me?"

"Now we can pull an intermission," Xander said as he and Giles rose from their seats.

"All right that's enough," Giles intervened.

Xander stood in front of Buffy. "Buffy, you know that if you punch him he'll end up flying across the stage. As much joy as that would bring into my life, it would start too many rumors."

"You saw what a jerk he was being."

"I see what a jerk he always is but settling your fight in front of half the Senior class is no way to go about resolving it."

"Let's move on to the final scene now. Buffy and Spike if you would please sit on opposite sides of the auditorium that would be great."

Soon rehearsal was over and everyone had pretty much left. Buffy stayed a little after to see what Giles had planned for her for the day. "I thought we might do some training and then you can patrol."

"And this would differ from any other day how?"

After a couple of hours of training Buffy suited up for slaying. With a stake in hand and one up the sleeve of her light brown pleather coat she pursued the graveyards.

Buffy walked past the black iron gate and looked from side to side. "We're gonna go with left today," she told herself as she faced the direction. Her feet took her past grassy graves and ceased at the fresh dirt surface of a Mr. Thomas Farling.

"Perfect timing," she heard someone say. Buffy turned around and was met with a punch to the face. "I am starving."

Buffy faced him with her stake held tightly in her hand. "So is Mr. Pointy."

"Mr. who?"

"Mr. Pointy."

"You named that toothpick?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's a stake," Buffy said in defense.

"Named Mr.Pointy."

"What else would you call it? Mr. Cuddly?"

"I wouldn't name a piece of wood."

"Stake," Buffy said angrily. Buffy did a roundhouse kick to his abdomen and punched him in the jaw. "And don't you know that drinking this late before bedtime is not good for you." The vampire tried to lunge at her but Buffy used his moment to slam him into the wall of the graveyard. He turned around for another attack. "You could get heartburn," Buffy said as she jabbed it into his chest. "Get it? Heart burn?" The vampire turned to dust before acknowledging her joke. "Why don't they ever get my jokes?"

Suddenly Buffy's head turned to the sound of someone grunting. She rushed towards it, hoping she wasn't too late to save whoever it was. Or just dust the two Fight Club vamps. Buffy's face contorted into one of confusion at the sight before her. Who would be stupid enough to fight a vampire. Then she inhaled deeply once she realized who it was. "Spike?"

**Author's Note:** I am so sorry it has taken so long for the next chapter but my Microsoft Word program wasn't working and it wouldn't upload from the other program I've been using and then my internet wasn't working and I couldn't even send it to someone to put it on and it was just… GRRRR!


	5. Getting to Know You

Chapter Five

Buffy watched in shock as Spike blocked a left hook and then landed a left kick to the vampire's head. _Who knew tall, blonde and clueless was so flexible?_ Finally Spike staked him through the heart, leaving nothing but ashes. Buffy stayed in place with her mouth slightly open. Spike brushed off his jacket and caught a glimpse of a foreign body.

"Buffy?" he asked, hesitantly. He slowly walked towards her as she stared at him in awe. "I know what you thought you saw."

"I thought I saw you fighting a vampire," she said bluntly.

"It may have looked- what?"

"What?" Buffy asked, confused.

"How do you know about vampires?"

"How do _you_ know about vampires?"

"I asked you first."

"So? I asked you second and two's a bigger number," Buffy said triumphantly. "Look out." Buffy pushed Spike out of the way as a vampire approached. He blocked her backhand but she followed through with a round-kick, hitting him in the face. The vamp growled as he spun to the left. Buffy whipped out her stake, blocked his right hook and then jabbed the stake into his chest. She skipped the snappy retort and went back to playing 20 questions with Spike. "What are you doing here?"

"How did you do that?" he asked with a combination of astonishment and uncertainty in his voice.

"Go home Spike."

"Why?"

"Because you shouldn't be here."

"And you should?"

"Yea. This is kinda what I do." Buffy walked past him and continued on her way, hoping he would leave the cemetery and head back to the rock that he called home.

"No way," he said in amazement as she passed him.

Buffy turned around, unsure as to what he meant. "What?" Her eyes glanced from side to side, trying to see if a "cool" looking demon decided to show up.

"Are you The Slayer?"

Buffy eyes widened in shock and aggravation. "How do you know about The Slayer?"

"No way!" he exclaimed. "This is too much. I figured The Slayer would be…," Spike held his hand up as if to say taller, "not you."

"Well you figured wrong. And again I ask as to how you know all of this."

"I read about it."

"You read?" Even more shocking.

"Into every generation a slayer is born. A Chosen One. She'll have extraordinary strength and ability to kick demon ass." Spike looked at her in a completely different light. He had a huge smile on his face. "Do you have the super human strength and abilities?"

"This is really freaking me out."

"Who's your Watcher? You do have a watcher right because every Slayer comes with a watcher to teach them to fight and all that stuff."

"I know what they do."

"Is it someone I know? Someone in the school? Does anybody else know? I know no one is supposed to know for fear of them getting' hurt but you hang out with Red, Xander and Oz a lot and it would be hard to keep something like that under wraps. Oh, does your mom know?"

"Breathe between sentences," Buffy insisted. "I don't want to have to be responsible for your unconscious body." Buffy continued her patrol with Spike right on her tail. "Stop following me."

"It's not everyday you find out someone you know is the Slayer."

"Are you part of a fan club or something?"

"You're the Slayer, I'm sorry but that's hard to wrap your head around."

"You have no idea," Buffy said to herself as she peered from side to side.

"So who knows?"

"Spike," Buffy said, stopping in her tracks. "I really don't need this. Just go home and I'll see you at rehearsal."

"No, I want to talk."

"Ya know for all you know about the Slayer I'm surprised you're purposely pissing one off."

"I got an idea. How about I ask you a question, you answer honestly, then you ask me a question that I'll answer honestly, and we'll go back and forth."

"Because I don't want to ask you anything."

"Oh come on there has to be somethin'." Buffy gave him an angry look combined with an oh-please. "Okay, then I'll start. How long have you been the Slayer?" Buffy stopped walking and looked to her right; her Slayer sense was kicking in. "Buffy?"

"I'm not playing this game." She walked in the direction of her inkling, which led her out of the graveyard and down the street. She heard someone scream and she ran in the direction. Spike tried keeping up behind her.

The vampire was drinking away at the girl's neck as she continued screaming. "Hey!" someone yelled. The vamp stopped and looked up. "Have you even considered all the work she's gonna have to put in to covering up that hickey?" He growled at her, offended she thought it was okay to interrupt his midnight snack. The girl took advantage of the distraction and heaved herself out of his arms. She started crawling away as she attempted to get to her feet but the vampire wasn't ready to let her get away. Buffy ran in and did a roundhouse kick to his face. He tried to punch her but she grabbed his right hand, twisted it to his side and snap kicked his abdomen.

Spike saw a strange girl come running out of an alley at her full speed. He ran towards the dark passage, knowing that's where he would find Buffy. Sure enough there she was, fighting with a guy in a leather jacket, a white wife beater and dark jeans. _Are those cowboy boots?_ Buffy landed against the brick wall from the vamp's punch. He went to kick her but she caught it before impact and flipped him to the ground. With a quick jerk of her stake, the vampire was history.

Buffy brushed herself off and noticed Spike was still there. "Stop following me."

"How long have you been the Slayer?"

Buffy gritted her teeth and walked past him. "Actually, I want to ask something first."

"Why do you get to go first?"

"Because I can extraordinary strength and ability kick your ass." Spike held his hands up in defeat and continued walking with the Slayer. "Why are you a jerk?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Why are you a jerk?"

"How am I a jerk?"

"We used to be friends until you became too cool to hang out with me," Buffy reminded him.

"I'm the one who ruined it? Someone's forgetting the time when I came into the library to talk to her and she said she never wanted to see or talk to me again."

"And someone's forgetting giving me the brush off the night before because he was out with his new rebel friends. I waved to you and you just turned away."

Spike looked down at the ground as he replayed the events she explained. She was right. He did give her the brush off. He remembered why he did it but he couldn't tell her that. "I don't know why I did it."

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned down another street. "That doesn't count as an answer."

"I guess I was just trying to be cool." He ceased when she stopped in her tracks and faced him.

"You ignore your friends just because you want to be cool?"

"Do I need to bring up the lemonade stand incident?"

"That is completely different."

"How?" Spike inquired

"One, we were seven and two I wasn't trying to be cool."

"So you usually throw lemonade in your friends face because he said Jenny Baker looked tacky?"

Buffy clenched her jaw. _You deserved it. She was one of the coolest girls you could meet. I mean nice. She was nice. It had nothing to do with her popularity._ "What about the Easy Bake Oven debacle."

"Oh come on you were trying to cook mini muffins with a fifteen watt bulb."

"So you just crank the kitchen oven to three fifty and burn the muffins _and _the muffin tin?"

"I guess so."

Again with the storming off but she knew she wouldn't get rid of Spike that easily. "Are we done?"

"Nope. How long have you been slaying?"

"Three years," Buffy replied quickly.

"Three years? So you've been slaying since you were-"

"Fifteen."

"Rough."

"You have no idea." Buffy turned down Revello Drive, looking forward to her comfy bed and no more Spike. "How long have you been slaying?"

"Six months."

"Why?"

"Sorry, my turn. Who knows that you're the Slayer?"

"My mom, Willow, Xander, Oz, Giles and you."

"Giles? You mean the librarian? Why would he…" The puzzle pieces started to come together in Spike's brain. "Bloody hell. He's your Watcher isn't he?"

"Sorry, my turn," Buffy said with a smirk. "How did you find out about vampires?"

"During summer vacation me and Daren Bond were out at a bar and this girl took him out into the alley. After like five minutes I was wondering what happened to him because I know it wouldn't take him that long to-"

"Skip this part," Buffy quickly intervened by cringing and holding up her hands.

"Anyway, I saw him lying on the ground dead with two puncture wounds in his neck. What else could I think? So I started taking karate and kick boxing classes so I could fight them."

"Did Daren have green hair? Kinda in a Mohawk?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I killed him. Well, I staked him."

"So is Giles your Watcher?"

Buffy let out a sigh and replied, "Yes."

"Wow. Stuffy librarian playin' Yoda. That explains how you got the part of Juliet."

"Excuse me? He didn't cast the play. As far as the school knows he was out visiting his family and not out on a Watcher's trip."

"Why ya doin' the play? Isn't it gonna to be hard doin' the play _and _slaying _and_ homework?" Spike kicked at a rock on the sidewalk.

"Well somehow the homework part gets done in between the training and patrolling and I can fit some line reading in there."

"Never knew you had so much on your plate. I'd go bloody insane."

"Yea well it comes with the job description." Buffy stopped in front of her house, subtly giving Spike the signal to leave. Then telling him, "This is where you no longer follow me."

"Right. Well g'night. Don't let the vampires bite."

"Haha, funny." Buffy walked up her steps and put her hand on the doorknob. She watched Spike reach his door and open it. Before he turned to give her a look she went inside. She couldn't help but smile. He may have started off annoying but in the end they actually had a pleasant conversation. Well as pleasant as vampires and slaying go.


	6. Not Friends

Chapter Six

The next morning at school, Spike was casually waiting in the hall by the front entrance. He was talking with three of his friends that were dressed in matching 'Greasebucket,' their favorite band, leather jackets. Spike was wearing his usual long leather coat with nothing written on it; he wasn't into the band groupie thing.

Buffy came walking in with an urgency in her walk. She was completely oblivious to the fact that Spike was calling out her name. She pushed open the library doors and threw her small black book bag on the counter. "Giles?" She glanced by the shelves to see if his head popped out from around the corner. She bent over the counter and leaned over. "Giles?" Sure enough he stepped back to where Buffy could see him.

"Buffy." He returned his glasses to his nose and walked towards her.

"Uh oh. Research?" she asked about the big book in his hand.

"Sorry?" Buffy gestured to the text. "Oh. No. I was just checking over this new book I received from the Watcher's Council."

"Why?"

"Because I need it."

"Hey, there aren't pictures of naked women in it are there?" Giles gave her his typical stop-kidding look. "Sorry. Anyway, back to why I'm here. I need to talk to you about-"

"A book?"

"Huh?" Buffy caught Giles hinting with his eyes and turned around. "Spike? What are you doing here?" Her watcher made his way out of his office and around the corner.

"I saw you and I wanted to say hi. Hey watcher. Giles. Rupert Giles. Mr. Giles."

Giles seemed a bit baffled at the moment so Buffy helped clear things up. "He knows."

"What?"

"It's not my fault. He was out slaying vampires when I spotted him and then he asked why I was out and then he was like, 'you're the Slayer' and I was like 'how do you know that?' So we ended talking and things happened- not _things_. I mean, we talked."

Giles grabbed Buffy's arm and pulled her to the side. "I can't believe you would be so irresponsible."

"I'm irresponsible? What kind of idiot goes out fighting vampires?" Anticipating Spike's retort she finished with, "Who isn't the Slayer."

"I told you-"

"Spike, would you please leave so Giles and I can talk?"

"It's a library. It's public domain."

Buffy gritted her teeth and exhaled aggression. She pulled Giles into his office and shut the door. Spike rolled his eyes and leaned with his back against the counter. Xander, Willow and Oz walked in with Willow and Oz holding hands and Xander trying to explain his latest encounter with Cordelia. "What are you doing here?" Xander asked.

"It's a library."

"Exactly. So why are _you_ here?"

"I was about to say the same thing to you."

Xander turned his head. "Is Mr. Giles here?" Willow asked.

"Yea, they're talking about how I know Buffy's the Slayer."

All three were pretty shocked, Oz maintaining his usual glance as opposed to Willow and Xander's wide eyes. "The what now?" Xander asked.

"I know," Spike said.

"You know what?" Willow faked.

"That Buffy's the Slayer."

"What's a Slayer?" Xander questioned. "I think someone had a little too much coo coo in his Cocoa Puffs."

In Giles' office he and his Slayer were arguing over Spike's new insight on her. "I told you I didn't mean to."

"I thought you hated this boy."

"With a firey passion. Not sexy passion, angry passion. Actually not even passion-"

"Buffy you can't just go telling everyone about this."

"Jeez, you act like I was carrying around a banner that said 'I'm the Slayer. Come annoy me with your questions.' He was in the cemetery and saw me."

"And you couldn't make something up? The four of you have all kinds of excuses for carrying around crosses and stakes but you couldn't think of a reason to be in a graveyard."

"Do you realize what you just asked me? Why would I be in a graveyard?"

"Visiting a dead relative. A shortcut to your home."

"Those are good ideas," Buffy said. Giles just ruined her excuse for lack of excuses. "But Giles, nobody here knows about the Slayer so when he brought it up I was shocked. It was a reflex, like when someone hits your knee and your leg jerks."

The watcher inhaled deeply and removed his glasses. His right hand went up to the bridge of his nose and started to rub it in exhaustion. After taking a minute to calm down Giles returned his glasses to his nose. "All right, the question is, can we trust him not to say anything?"

Buffy walked over to his window and looked out at the platinum blonde boy who used to be her friend. Willow and Xander were swapping sentences with him, Xander looking more aggressive. However Buffy's eyes remained on Spike as she thought of the way they used to be and how they got to where they are today. "I don't think he'll say anything."

"Are you sure?"

"If there's any remnant of the Spike I once knew," Buffy faced Giles, "he won't say anything." She pushed herself off the wall and left his office.

"Shut up Spike!"

"Make me."

"Fine. Buffy, hit him."

"No." She walked to the end of the counter and retrieved her bag. "Are we still on for after school?"

"Of course," Willow assured.

"Yea," Xander seconded.

"All right. See ya in class." Buffy left the library and went straight. Spike slipped past her trio of friends and followed her.

"Buffy. What's going on after school?"

"None of your business." She was sick of this thing Spike was doing.

"C'mon, I-"

"Spike," Buffy interrupted. She moved so she was standing right in front of him. "We're not friends. No matter what you know or how you know it, that doesn't make us friends. I still think you're a jerk."

"Buffy-"

"No. We don't acknowledge each other. We don't chat. We don't do anything except rehearse during rehearsal hours. That's it. You may quickly forget what you did to me but I don't." With that she turned and walked away.

The rest of the school day when Spike came into contact with Buffy he would roll his eyes and then walk around her. Buffy thought she might've been a little harsh on him but she was so fed up with all the questions and the clinging. Also, all of a sudden he was being nice and she was angry that it took this revelation to get him to talk to her. Why couldn't he have just felt bad for the way he treated her and come up to her one day and say _Buffy, I was a jerk. I'm sorry for ignoring you that night. I don't know what I was thinking. Can we be friends again?_ Then of course she'd give him the cold shoulder for a while but then they could be friends. But it can't happen this way. It's almost as if he wants something from her.

After school the gang, minus Oz because of a previous engagement with _Dingoes Ate My Baby_, met up at Buffy's house so they could run some lines. "Okay, so what should we start with?" Buffy asked.

"Oh FYI, I'm Paris," Xander informed.

"What?" Buffy and Willow questioned.

"I talked to Giles during fourth period and he said he would swap me with the current Paris."

"Why do you want to be Paris?" Willow asked, unsure why anyone even wants to be on stage.

"Because he doesn't have a huge speech and he's hardly in the play."

"So you want to participate but with as little effort as possible," Buffy rephrased.

"As little as possible."

"Right. Okay then, how about we go through the scene where you and I meet up at the church."

"There's a church?" Buffy and Willow looked at him with eyes wide. "Kidding. Now, uh, when does that happen again?"

"I'm going to get poison from the priest. Oh, Willow, why don't you play the priest?"

"Okay."

Xander was flipping through every page trying to find where the scene was. "Act four scene one Xander."

"Oh, right." He flipped to the page and waited for Willow to start reading.

"On Thursday, sir? The time is very short," she started. "Should I be sitting or standing?"

"It doesn't matter Will."

"My father Capulet will have it so;  
And I am nothing slow to slack his haste."

"You say you do not know the lady's mind:  
Uneven is the course, I like it not."

"Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt's death,  
And therefore have I little talk'd of love;  
For Venus smiles not in a house of tears.  
Now, sir, her father counts it dangerous  
That she doth give her sorrow so much sway,  
And in his wisdom hastes our marriage,  
To stop the inundation of her tears;  
Which, too much minded by herself alone,  
May be put from her by society:  
Now do you know the reason of this haste."

"I would I knew not why it should be slow'd.  
Look, sir, here comes the lady towards my cell."

Buffy walked over to the couch where Willow and Xander were standing.

"Happily met, my lady and my wife!" Xander read.

"That may be, sir, when I may be a wife."

"That may be must be, love, on Thursday next."

"What must be shall be."

"That's a certain text," Willow said, looking closely at the words.

"Come you to make confession to this father?" Xander took a few stiff steps towards Buffy.

"To answer that, I should confess to you."

"Do not deny to him that you love me."

"I will confess to you that I love him."

"So will ye, I am sure, that you love me."

"If I do so, it will be of more price,  
Being spoke behind your back, than to your face."

"Poor soul, thy face is much abused with-"

"Cookies," Joyce announced.

The three teenagers dropped their script books and ran to the kitchen. They each

grabbed a hot chocolate chip cookie and took a bite from it. The chocolate oozed in their mouth and squished together with the warm cookie batter. "Mmmm. Joyce you're the best mom ever," Xander said.

"She's got the artistically challenged first grade mug to prove it," Buffy announced.

"I love that mug," Joyce defended. "It's very colorful and has a cute picture of the two of us."

"Yea, with Judy Jetson hair and restroom sign clothes."

"It's very sweet." Joyce put an arm around her daughter and kissed the top of her head. "I wouldn't want it to look any different."

"Because then you couldn't point and laugh at it with the other parents."

"Where is this extreme sarcasm coming from?"

"The usual place."

Joyce smiled and went to the oven. She started putting more dough on to the cookie sheet. "How's the play going?"

"It's going," Buffy replied.

"I got assigned to a new part today," Xander said.

"Why?" Joyce asked with motherly concern.

"Because Giles felt my actorial skills would be better used in the part of Paris than Benvolio."

"Mercutio," Buffy corrected.

"And this in no way has anything to do with the amount of lines."

"Oh no, it has everything to do with that."

"We should get back to reading. Only three hours 'til sundown." Buffy grabbed two more cookies from the cooling rack and went to the living room. Willow grabbed two more as well and Xander grabbed the last five.

"Great cookies Joyce." Xander placed the fifth in his mouth and followed them to the living room.

They ran through more lines, taking cookie breaks along the way. When it was about six o'clock Xander and Willow left so Buffy could prep for slaying. "Bye you guys. See you tomorrow," she yelled after them. She shut the door and walked upstairs to her room.

The doorbell rang as Joyce finished washing the dishes. She wiped off her hands and answered the door.

Buffy pulled her hair back in a ponytail and slipped on her jean jacket. "Buffy!" she heard her mom call. "Someone's here to see you!"

"Be right down!" She slipped a stake up her sleeve and another in her pocket. She made her way down the stairs and noticed the platinum blonde waiting for her in the living room. "Spike?" He rose from the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a proposition for you. How about, when you go out slaying to night, I go with you."

"No."

"But we can run lines between the fighting."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because this isn't your job Spike. You shouldn't be out there and I am not going to be responsible for you dying." She made her way to the kitchen to say goodbye to her mom. "I love you. I'll be home later."

"You can't stop me from going with you," Spike informed her.

Buffy took a breath. "You're right. Even though I say you can't come, you can still follow me."

"Exactly."

Buffy looked down to the right and landed a right hook against his jaw. He fell to the ground, unconscious. "But I can do that."


	7. Problems and Confessions

Chapter Seven

"What was that noise?" Joyce asked.

"Nothing. I… hit my leg. Ow!" Buffy lied. She put Spike's right arm around her neck and dragged his unconscious body out the door. "I really should've thought about this before I knocked you out. But you were being your typical stubborn self and it was the first thing I thought of, so technically this is all your fault," she informed Spike, who didn't respond.

Buffy looked next door at the house she used to know so well. She used to be able to navigate that house blindfolded. She tried it once when she was eleven and the only snag was when she ran into a lamp but Spike caught it before it hit the ground. They watched movies together and made s'mores using candles because their moms didn't want them near the stove. And as far as they knew the two ate only popcorn within the confines of the dark green walls. They used to have so much fun together. They were all each other needed, and now they were all each other hated.

Buffy quietly made her way to the back door and turned the knob. She slumped Spike's body over the counter so she could push up on the door and shut it because if you didn't, it would make a loud, rusty squeaking noise. Once it was shut she commenced with the movement of the body and dragged it upstairs to his bedroom. When she opened the door she found that there were bookshelves where his dresser used to be and a desk where his bed was. Buffy accidentally let go of his arm in shock and his body fell to the floor. "Oh sh-" Her head spun to her right when she heard a door open. "Crap." She pulled Spike behind the desk and curled up into a ball.

The light from the hall streamed across the floor and a silhouette formed. "Hello?" a woman said, afraid of hearing an answer. "Is someone there?" Buffy remained still until the door shut. She lay on her stomach in order to see when the light from the hall was turned off. "Come on. Come on." Suddenly, the carpet from the hallway went black. "Yes!" she whispered.

Buffy grabbed Spike and continued dragging him. "What room did you move to?" His head hung from his neck and his lips remained closed. "And why do I keep talking to you like you're going to answer me? Ya know, I blame you for this. If you would've just stayed home, this wouldn't have happened. If you would've said hello to me four years ago, this wouldn't have happened. But no you have to be a stubborn ass who can't give a kind nod to his best friend." Buffy opened the next couple of doors finding no results of Spike's furniture. "Did you finally move to the basement?" Again, no answer.

Buffy made a noise of frustration as she walked back down the stairs. And keeping someone unconscious isn't as easy as it looks. His feet kept hitting each step and with every noise Buffy would turn to see if the light relit. Luckily she made downstairs and then down into the basement. "Oh thank goodness." She lugged him over to his bed and plopped him onto the light blue sheets.

"Spike? Is that you honey?" Buffy's eyes widened as she started fumbling towards places to hide. Finally she decided to slip under the bed, it was her easiest option. However she forgot that he was Spike and therefore piled everything under his bed. She cringed as she pushed her body against the random objects. His mother came down the stairs and looked at him. Buffy heard the ruffling of the sheets and the sound of a kiss. With that the woman went up the stairs and shut the door.

Buffy quickly rolled out from under the bed and started cringing. "That was disgusting. Oh gross." She picked a sock off of her shoulder and brushed it off. "And my hand is moist," she wined. She went to smell it but then put it back down at her side. "No, I don't want to know." She quietly went up step by step and opened the door. The coast was clear for her escape. She reached for the back door handle and-

"Buffy?"

_Oh no._ She slowly turned around with a smile on her face. "Hi Anne."

"I haven't seen you in ages. What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, gave Spike a lift home. From… Bob's. Bob's house."

"I see. Well how have you been? How's Joyce?" Anne asked as she took a seat on a barstool.

"She's good, I'm good, we're all kinds of good. But I gotta get going so-"

"How long has it been since you've come over here? I asked my son why you were never over but he always refused to answer me."

"It's complicated."

Spike's mom took Buffy's hand in hers and placed her other hand on top. "How are you? Are you all right?"

Buffy pursed her lips before answering. "Yea, I'm fine. It's just… Nothing."

"What?"

She looked into the eyes of the woman who was her second mother for over ten years. She kissed her scrapes and supplied vital snackage. She talked to them about sex when they were eight because she caught them kissing. They just wanted to know what the big deal was. "I miss you. And your bran muffins. My mom _still_ can't make them like you." They both smiled.

"You should come over more often. I've really missed you."

Buffy smirked at Anne. She had gotten older over the last four years, with a couple stray gray hairs and early impressions of crow's feet by her eyes, but she was still one of the nicest people she had ever met. "I will. Thanks Anne, but I better get home." Buffy slipped her hand out of the woman's reach and left. She took a deep breath to try and hold back the tears as she made her way down the sidewalk. "Well that didn't go as planned."

In the cemetery Buffy heard some familiar voices screaming "hold him" and "stake it." She ran towards the noise and saw Willow and Xander getting their butts kicked by a suited vampire. It had Xander by the throat and spun him around so he knocked over Willow. Buffy skipped the welcoming comment and kicked him in the face. After a roundhouse punch he fell to the ground. Buffy tried to stake him but he blocked it with his arm. With a swipe to her legs Buffy landed with a thud. He jumped on top of her and smiled. "Guess we're not so lucky tonight are we?" He leaned in for s bite, not realizing the stake held against her side that dug into his heart.

"Guess not," Buffy said before he turned to dust.

Xander helped Willow up who still had her stake clenched tightly in her hand. "Well sure, just come in and open the jar once it's been loosened up." He held his hand out for Buffy to grab, which she gladly accepted.

"I must've confused your lying on the ground as a sign for help."

"We were just lulling him into a false sense of security before we nailed him," Willow said. "In a non-sexual way."

"Very non-sexual," Xander defended.

"Got it. No sexualness." Buffy started walking straight and her friends followed at her side. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We figured we could help you with your lines between stakings. And when we were doing it-," Xander quickly added after realizing what he said, "reading lines, it wasn't working out well. I think I just can't speak Shakespearese."

"Shakespearese?" Buffy and Willow questioned.

"The language of Shakespeare. Whenever it's a language it ends with ese. Like Japan_ese_. Chin_ese_. German…_ese_."

The two nodded in recognition of their friend's funny, but false factual statement. "That's really cool of you guys but I think I should go alone."

"Well, speaking as the only male in this group who had recently switched parts in the play and is freaking out because he found there is only two months until showtime, I would have to disagree."

"I'm with Xander on this one."

"Why do you want to run lines Will, you're not even in the play?"

"Which I'm very happy about but I think you could use the practice. You've already got a packed schedule as it is so why not fit this in where there's space to be filled?" Willow and Xander looked at Buffy with cheesy come-on-say-yes smiles.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Okay," she said with a smirk. Willow handed her a script so they could start reading lines. "Where should we start?"

"How about at the scene in the orchard between Romeo and Juliet?" Willow suggested.

"We don't have Romeo?" Buffy reminded her red headed friend.

"We have Xander."

"Who is Paris," he replied.

"Oh come on Xander, you can play Romeo for a few minutes so Buffy can learn her mass amount of lines."

"But what if I remember his lines and tie them in with my own?" They both gave him an emotionless look. "Okay, good point. All right. Buffy start."

Buffy flipped through the pages and start to read. "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?  
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;  
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,  
And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

"Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?" Xander said, holding his arms out

wide.

"What are you doing?" Willow asked.

"I'm acting."

"Yes, but this is _aside_, not with gestures of grandeur."

"Sorry Miss Assistant Director."

"'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;  
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.  
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,  
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part  
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!  
What's in a name? That which we call a rose  
By any other name would smell as sweet;  
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,  
Retain that dear perfection which he owes  
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,  
And for that name which is no part of thee  
Take all myself."

"I take thee-" Xander stopped when he heard another voice saying the same line

he was.

"-at thy word," Spike said.

"Spike?" Willow said with a hint of question.

"Spike." Xander sneered in his direction.

"Spike!" Buffy was frustrated that after all the work she did he wasn't even

knocked out for a couple more hours. His head slammed into the floor for crying out loud. "What are you doing here?"

"Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized;  
Henceforth I never will be Romeo."

Buffy walked up to Spike. "No. No Shakespeare. What are you doing here?"

"I told you ya couldn't stop me from followin' ya."

"I knocked you unconscious and dragged your puny little body throughout your

house because someone decided to grow a pair and move to the basement."

"I was ten years old when my mum brought up the idea of livin' in the basement. Basements scare little kids. You remember that loud grinding noise?" Spike defended.

"A. It was the rusty pipes. B. I thought I told you that we aren't friends. I said it with a stern face. Kinda like the one I'm wearing now. Yet you come over to my house and plan slaying dates with me."

"Just 'cause you don't like me, that doesn't change the fact that we got a play to do in two months."

"I don't want to see you any more then I already have to. Now leave," Buffy ordered.

"Why can't you just cooperate for two seconds? You always do this. You always avoid talking about things by bashing me. You've been doing this since you were five. Just like when I took your Barbie and all you did was call me a meanie because I wanted you to play with me."

"Stop talking about what we used to do. What we did is done and who you were then certainly isn't who you are now. And we aren't talking about things. You're trying to make me read lines with you."

"Then what do you want Buffy? Do want me to leave? Is that all? You want me to walk away from you and never talk to you or say hello to you ever? You want me to only speak to you at rehearsal and even then, not get too close?" Spike questioned. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to hear her answer.

"That's exactly what I want."

"Why?"

"Because you're a jerk."

"And you're a brat."

"How am I a brat?" Buffy said in disbelief.

"You're acting like an immature child who can't get their dolly from Toys R Us."

"Oh yea, you're one to call me immature. You snubbed me."

"I told you, I wasn't thinking straight that night." Spike remained strong in the idea of not telling her the truth. It's not like she wants to hear it anyway.

"Or maybe you were just showing who you really were."

"No I wasn't."

"Where are those pesky vampires when you need'em?" Xander asked no one in particular.

"Then what was it Spike? You said you were just trying to be cool but all this defiance of the rules that we lived by for the past four years is suddenly no longer in play. Instead of avoiding each other you come looking for me. Instead of sitting apart from each other you switch seats with the kid behind me."

"I can't tell you," he said with a mixture of frustration and sadness.

"You can't tell me? You're telling me we need to talk and then you're the first one to back out of the conversation."

"Fine, I'm goin' home." He turned to leave.

Buffy quickly walked in front of him and ceased him from taking any further steps. "Oh no, you're not getting off that easy."

"I thought it was what you wanted."

"Yea but now you're only leaving to avoid this conversation. Just tell me why you snubbed me and I'll let you leave."

"I can't."

"Then you can't leave." Buffy stood with her feet apart and crossed her arms.

"I can't tell you, so stop," he pleaded.

"Why do you get to tell me what I should and shouldn't do but once I take the wheel you run in the other direction?"

"Because you're a horrible driver."

"Oh shut up. I am… I am but at elast I can admit it. And stop changing the subject."

Spike inhaled deeply and in anger, frustration and basic emotion overload, he blurted it out. "I ignored you because I saw you drooling over Angel in the hall."

"What do you care if I talk to Angel?"

"It wasn't just talking. It was flirting. You were doing that hair twirling thing you do when you're nervous and you were showing him your mysterious smile that you somehow know to do."

"So?" Buffy asked, still not getting what he was trying to say.

"I want that from you." Buffy's face became one of confusion at what Spike finally decided to confess. "I love you Buffy. I've loved you ever since my thirteenth birthday and I got sick from the measles. Your mom told you not to come over, and my mom barred you from the house but you climbed up the drainpipe and crawled through my window with two cupcakes and party hats. Then you came and visited me everyday and would cheer me up by making puppet shows with my socks and doing impressions of Mr. Killigan." She remembered. Both their mothers were adamant about keeping them apart but she wouldn't let them no matter what. Buffy's bottom jaw began to quiver. "You happy now? That's why we're not friends any more. And that's why you're letting me walk away right now." Spike strode past Buffy who just stood with her mouth open in shock at what she just heard.

"Vampire," Xander informed.


	8. To Be or Not to Be

Chapter Eight

Buffy backhand punched the vampire and then landed a kick to his stomach. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him onto the stake.

"Well that was record timing," Xander voiced. Buffy stood still, looking at the ash the vamp left behind. "Buff?" She didn't react. "Just to let you know, in case you missed it, they always do that- the whole turning into dust thing. I know you haven't been in the biz too long but-"

"Did he say what I think I heard him say?" Buffy exhaled.

"That he's an asshole?"

"That he loves you?" Willow said in her low voice.

"Why would he say that? Why would he act like that? How does he expect me to know these things if he doesn't tell me?" Buffy asked Willow and Xander as if they could actually answer her questions. But they couldn't. She rolled her eyes and said, "I'm just gonna patrol alone okay? You guys go home and I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"We can come with you if you want?" Willow offered.

"Yea Buffy. Don't be too quick to assume that we _have_ lives."

Buffy gave them a stern yet solemn look. "I want to patrol alone."

"Sure," Willow replied.

"See you in school," Xander said.

As they left the graveyard Buffy welcomed the darkness as she walked further past the graves.

An hour later she found herself promenading on the sidewalk to her house. As chance would have it she ran into a familiar platinum blonde haired teenager. "Well how's this for perfect timing?" Buffy asked, not expecting an answer.

Spike shook his head and walked towards his house. Buffy quickly found herself stepping in his way. "What are ya doin'?"

"I don't know."

He stepped to the side to go around her but she shadowed him. "What's your deal Summers? Haven't you had enough fun with me tonight?"

"Did you mean that?"

"Mean what?"

"What you said in the graveyard?"

"What?" Spike asked, knowing what she meant.

"You know! About the… what you said…" Buffy found it hard to say even though it wasn't her own personal feelings.

"What?"

"When you said you loved me?" She looked deeply into his eyes to see if he would give her some sort of hint to his intentions with those words. "Did you mean it?"

"You'd like me to say 'no' wouldn't ya?"

"This isn't about what I want to hear, this is about the truth."

Spike exhaled and confirmed, "Yeah. I did."

"Then why would you do that? We were friends and you purposely ignored me because you loved me?"

"Seemed easier. Figured not having you around me all the time, remindin' me what I can't have… seemed easier," Spike said, mostly keeping his gaze on the ground.

"And not once you thought of telling me this?"

"Of course I did, but telling you would give you the chance to say 'no' and I couldn't bare that."

"So you just ignore me?"

"Yes."

"Well how the hell does that make sense?" Buffy questioned. Spike inhaled deeply and exhaled a scream. "What?"

"I hate this. I hate arguing with you because we always argue like we're bloody children. No matter what the argument we sound like we're five. And I know we can't help that and that's who we are but I would like to act less childish for once."

"Then act like it!"

"I can't! You make me so frustrated and crazy that I can't think straight!" Both of them started shifting around more as the aggression increased.

"Well you frustrate me too!" Buffy screamed.

"Here we go again."

"The only thing that's childish is you not telling me how you feel!"

"Can ya blame me?"

"I am blaming you! We used to have something special and you ruined it!" Spike's face was one of complete anger, but it slowly fell to pieces when he saw tears forming in Buffy's eyes.

Spike clenched his teeth to hold back any emotion that would possibly show on his face. "I'm going inside."

Buffy let him walk right past her as she looked in the other direction. She didn't even want to look at him. _What an ass!_ She walked across the grass and up her steps. She took one last look at his house and went inside. She curled up in her bed and spent hours trying to fall asleep.

The next day, during third period, Buffy, Xander, Willow and Oz went to the auditorium so they could rehearse and work on sets. As they were entering the auditorium someone yelled, "Buffy" down the hall. She turned her head to the left and saw Angel wheeling his way down the hall.

"Angel. What are you doing here?"

"I'm seeing how well I can make it through these halls when I come back. Or in this case how incapable I am of doing it." They shared a laugh at his expense before he asked, "So you breaking into the auditorium to destroy things?"

"No. I'm rehearsing with Xander."

"I thought Spike was my under study."

_Spike?_ "Uh, yeah, he is but…"

"But he's Spike?" Angel said, clearly remembering how she hated him before his absence.

"Cliff notes version." Buffy ran her hand through her hair and ask, "Do you wanna join us? I mean, you're not gonna be late to anything right?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

Buffy held the door open for Angel as he wheeled himself in. "Here, take mine. Let's see how much I can remember," she said with a smile.

"Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day:  
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,  
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;  
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree:  
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale."

"It was the lark, the herald of the morn,  
No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks  
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east:  
Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day  
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.  
I must be gone and live, or stay and die," Angel read.

"Yon light is not day-light, I know it, I:  
It is some meteor that…uh… don't tell me…oh, the sun exhales. Right?"

"You're right," Angel said with a smile.

"Yes! Okay…To be to thee this night a torch-bearer,  
And light thee on thy way to Mantua:  
Therefore stay yet; thou need'st not to be gone."

"Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death;  
I am content, so thou wilt have it so.  
I'll say yon grey is not the morning's eye,  
'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow;  
Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat  
The vaulty heaven so high above our heads:  
I have more care to stay than will to go:  
Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so.  
How is't, my soul? let's talk; it is not day."

"It is, it is: hie hence, be gone, away!  
It is the lark that sings so out of tune,  
Straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps.  
Some say the lark makes sweet division-" Buffy was cut short when she tripped

over her own feet and fell into Angel's lap.

"You all right?" he asked seriously.

"Yeah." Buffy looked in his eyes and noticed he was looking from her eyes to her lips. Suddenly she caught a glimpse of Spike. Buffy quickly rose from Angel's lap and followed Spike out of the auditorium. "Spike!" He started to head down the hall. "Spike, stop!" Spike took a breath as he stopped moving and turned to face her. "Nothing happened."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing happened."

"Why are you telling me this?" he questioned.

"Because I don't' want you to get the wrong idea."

"Why?"

Buffy's mouth was open for awhile, unsure of why he was asking these questions. Why can't he just leave it at the fact that she and Angel did nothing? "I don't know why. Why does it matter?"

"Why do you care if I happen to see you kissing Angel?"

"We weren't kissing."

"Whatever."

"What is it with you? Why are you acting like a…" Buffy stopped, finally realizing what he was talking about last night.

"Child?" he finished.

"Yeah."

"Look, I see you're very busy right now so I'll rehearse somewhere else."

"Don't make me sound like the Queen of Slutdom."

"It's all right. Just go back to rehearsal."

Back in the auditorium everyone was curious what happened to Buffy. "Maybe she killed him?" Xander said. Everyone gave him a be-serious look. "Maybe not."

"Maybe we should go check it out," Oz suggested. Everyone concurred and went out into the hallway. There was no one in sight.

"Where'd they go?" Xander said, expressing his puzzlement.

"I'm sure she'll come back… right?" Willow asked, a little worried. Oz put his arms around her for comfort and kissed her on the forehead.

"Let's get back in the auditorium before we're spotted by the hallway police." They headed back but when Xander pulled on the door it didn't open. "Uh oh. That's not good. He started jerking it but still it wouldn't open.

"I'll be right back." Willow went around the corner to check the other door but stopped in her tracks. Two people were making out in the shadows of the hallway. Willow moved on and checked the door. Nope, it was locked too. Her gaze fell back on the two lovers and then, after closer observation, her mouth fell open. _Buffy and Spike!_


	9. Ooops

Chapter Nine

Buffy and Spike continued their embrace until she suddenly pulled herself away. Both were panting because seconds ago, kissing was more important then breathing. "Okay, well… that just happened," Buffy stated in shock, not looking Spike in the face.

"Yeah, it kinda did," he agreed with just as much bewilderment. "We just-"

"Uh huh. And your tongue was-"

"Yup. And _your_ tongue was-"

"Oh yea."

"But it was-"

"Very," Buffy said with a hint of longing.

"So technically it would be 'very' again," Spike suggested. He took a step towards her, which Buffy reciprocated. Finally they were only an inch apart and their lips grew closer. As they were about to touch the bell rang and they both sprung back. "Gotta get to class," Spike said, welcoming the intermission from the supernatural occurrence.

"I should go see Giles."

"Right because you have that whole…" Spike swallowed loudly not finding anything good to say, "Giles thing. But I'll see you later."

"You will?" Buffy questioned. She sounded a bit freaked, assuming he meant they would meet up somewhere.

"Well, no. I…," the blonde teenager was flustered. "I mean, if I see you, ya know, walking the halls, then I'll see you later. Otherwise I'll see you at rehearsal tomorrow."

"Right. Okay then." They stood there in silence, trying not to look at each other. "I better go."

"Me too. Still got class."

"Still got a Watcher." They shared an awkward chuckle and tried heading in the respected directions, however they kept crashing into each other. When one moved to walk right, the other went right. On went left, the other moved left. "Wow, this really does happen." Buffy held Spike in place as she walked around his left. They didn't say anything as they walked away but each took a secret glance at the other when they weren't looking.

"Buffy," Giles said in usual surprised-to-see-you-but-not-really tone.

"Giles. Well now that the introductions are over, let's get down to business." Buffy walked over to the table and sat down with her hands folded.

"What business?" he asked as he glanced at the covers of the books on the table.

"The business of Slayer stuff. Is there anything on the horizon? Anything? A blip on the radar screen?"

"No, why have you heard anything."

"Actually now that you mentioned it, I overheard the jocks saying a horde of something was going to rise at eight and destroy all the vending machines."

"You're joking," the Watcher observed.

"Of course not. Those jocks love their sugary goodness." Giles just let out a sigh and continued filing away his books in the steel cage Oz used three days of the month. "I'm merely just checking in like the good little Slayer that I am, to see if you have any possible 'death and destruction' events on your hell creature schedule."

"Well I haven't heard-"

"And then she said, 'last I checked I didn't see talking to a loser on my schedule.' And ya know what I said back? Come on, guess." Xander and Willow interrupted Giles as they walked through the swinging doors. Xander was describing his latest Cordelia encounter.

"I don't care," Willow said in a suggestive tone when really it was a statement.

"'Be sure not to miss your spade appointment.' Huh? Am I crafty or am I geniousity?"

"Definitely not the latter," Willow said to herself. "Hey Buffy. Hey Giles."

"Buffster. G-man."

"Please don't ever call me that again," the Englishman asked in his typical Giles tone.

"What's with the meeting of the round table?" Xander sat down and put his feet on the tabletop. "What do we got? Demons, vampires, or my personal favorite, a good ol' apocalypse?"

Giles tapped on Xander's shoes, non-verbally telling him to remove them from his spotless surface. "Nothing actually. As in there's nothing going on."

"Uh, Buffy, you left your book bag in the auditorium."

"Great. Now I get to go inhale some more paint fumes. Lucky me," she said as she headed for the door.

"Actually it's in my locker."

"Way to go Will. Then let's venture to the non-smelliness of your locker." Buffy grabbed the hand of her red headed friend and lead her through the doorway. "Slayer out."

Willow turned the dial to the right combination of numbers that would open her locker. "This day is just all kinds of interesting so far. And it's not even lunch yet. Who knows, maybe there'll be a food fight. Or a mob of hungry students- wait, that happens everyday," Buffy spoke. Willow lifted the latch and the door opened. "Yey, my lack of books bag. Thanks Will."

"Uh, Buffy. Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Willow you're my best friend. I'll give you a minute," she said in her happy voice.

"Thanks. Uh, well… when you were gone for so long we all went looking for you. In a way. But when I was in the back hallway I saw you. With Spike."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Has he possessed you or something, 'cause last I checked you guys weren't exactly on kissing terms. You were barely even on arguing terms considering you always avoided each other."

"No, I'm not possessed. If only it were that easy." Buffy rested her back against the lockers and looked straight ahead. "I don't even really know what happened. One minute I was defending myself and the next we were kissing."

"A confusion spell?" Willow suggested.

"No. No spell of any name, form or whatever else kind of spell term there is. It was just a freak thing that happened."

"Well I'm not expecting you to defend yourself. I was just making sure you weren't-"

"Crazy?" she suggested.

"Not the word I was going for but we'll use it."

Buffy smiled and pushed herself off the lockers. "Let's head back to the board room."

Spike and Buffy had somehow managed to avoid each other for the rest of the day. Even though the moment they shared kissing was amazing, it was also creepy. They weren't sure why the other one was kissing them. Spike didn't know if Buffy had feelings for him or she just couldn't think of anything else to do. Buffy thought Spike was just confronting his feelings head on to see if she was girlfriend material, but she had no idea what his outcome was.

As the Slayer walked up the steps to her house she glanced over and saw Anne removing envelopes from her mailbox. She smiled and went to turn the doorknob.

"Buffy!" the woman exclaimed. Buffy looked over and saw her ex-second mother waving to her rapidly. "Come over, I just made some bran muffins."

_Can never say no to Anne's bran muffins_. "I'll be right over," she yelled back.

Inside, Joyce was just heading down the stairs. "Buffy, you're home."

"And now I'm not. I'm going over to Anne's for some bran muffins."

"Anne's? You haven't been over there in years," Joyce said, in a way reminding

her daughter.

"I know, but they're bran muffins."

"Be home for dinner."

"Got it." Buffy kissed her mother's cheek and headed out to the lawn. She opened the gate door and walked on the childhood grass that she used to play in. His grass always seemed more fluffy than hers. She almost felt like she bounced with every step.

The back door was open for her entrance and Anne had already pulled out the butter and a glass of milk. "Here you are my little Buffkin."

The smile that came to Buffy's face could light up a room. She had forgotten the pet name Anne bestowed upon her from all the muffins she ate at the house. When she was younger she liked the name because she was around enough to deserve a nickname but she also hated it because it was too "cutesy", was the term her and Spike agreed on. But now it was the sweetest thing she could hear. "Thanks Anne."

"So, how's the play coming along? Spike says you're a very good Juliet."

"He does?" She nearly lost bits of muffin that were crammed into her mouth.

"Oh yeah. We occasionally rehearse together and sometimes I think I can even see him picturing you reading lines with him."

"Anne," Buffy said in a give-me-a-break tone.

"I'm not joking. It's like he's there, but his mind isn't. I can't even tell you how many times I've told him to go next door and rehearse with you. I mean you need to learn your lines too."

"I get by."

"I'm sure you do sweetie, but it's just different when the person you'll be interacting with is there with you. Haven't you ever noticed the difference between reading with your friends or your mom and reading with Spike?"

Buffy's mouth opened, with intent to push out a sentence but her mind was too busy thinking. It never noticed a difference if there was one. Although that may have something to do with the raving hatred she had for him. _Has_ for him.

"Hey, why don't we read lines together? It'll be fun." Anne was always so chipper about everything. You could say you're going to clean up dog poop and she'll make it sound like the most fun you could have with your time.

"I don't have my script with me."

"Well you won't be able to look at the script on the stage now will ya? Besides I have a copy of the scripts in my desk. I printed one out so I could help Spike with his lines. And this way if you get stuck I can feed you your lines." Anne had already retrieved the stapled papers from her drawer before she finished her thought. "What do ya think?"

With the big goofy smile on the woman's face, how could Buffy say no? "Sure. As long as I'm home for dinner."

"Oh, you should invite Joyce over to watch and then we can all have dinner together."

Buffy didn't know if Spike would like that very much so she lied. "Actually my mom already has food planned out and the oven's preheated. But maybe some other time."

"All right," the elderly woman said with a smile, although a hint of sadness showed. "Let's get started shall we?"

"Where do you want to start?"

"Well what speech do you need the most work on?" Anne sat down on one of the barstools as Buffy leaned against the countertop.

"All of it really. I know about half of it but sometimes the words get all jumbled up."

"How about Act I scene V. The ball when you first see Romeo."

They read through and made it to the end of the act. Where Buffy quoted:

"Go ask his name: if he be married.  
My grave is like to be my wedding bed."

"His name is Romeo, and a Montague;  
The only son of your great enemy."

"My only love sprung from my only hate!  
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!  
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,  
That I must love a loathed enemy."

"What's this? what's this?" Anne read.

"A rhyme I learn'd even-"

"I'm home!" Spike called from the doorway. "Sorry I'm late mom, but I-" when he entered the kitchen he saw the last person he would expect to see in his house reading lines with his mother.

"Hi sweetie." Anne got up and kissed Spike on the cheek. "We were just rehearsing the play together over bran muffins."

Spike's gaze was frozen on Buffy. Buffy awkwardly said, "You know I can't resist your mom's bran muffins."

"Yeah," he said slowly, still a little unsure of his vision.

Buffy pursed her lips. "Well, I should head back home. Thank you for the help Anne."

"But we haven't-"

"No, I really should get back home. I hope to see you soon though. Thanks for the muffins." Buffy quickly ran out the door and back to her house.

Anne swatted Spike with the script. "Ow!" he exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"Why'd you let her leave?"

"She said she needed to get back home."

"Only because you were looking at her like she had a horn stickin' out of her head. Honestly Spike, sometimes your manners are just atrocious." Anne got up and left.

"What did_ I _do?" Spike asked the empty room.


	10. Facing the Truth

Chapter Ten

Buffy snap kicked the female vamp in the face, sending her flying on her back. "And then he looks at me like I'm the She Devil! He's the one that brought up all this 'feelings' business and then he has the nerve to look at me like that!"

"The guy has problems," the vamp replied after she flipped to her feet.

"Thank you," Buffy said, as if it was an accomplishment. She blocked the girl's punch and then staked her through the heart. She brushed a few wisps of hair behind her ear and continued her promenade through the graveyard. She paused when she heard something coming. She jumped out from behind a tomb and kicked the vamp in the face before she swiped his legs out from under him. "Spike!" Buffy said, her hand raised to stake him.

"Yes, a very not vampire Spike."

Buffy pushed herself off and didn't even bother offering him a hand. "What are you doing here?"

"What, you're the only person who can walk through graveyards?" Spike helped himself up and started brushing off his pants.

"I'm the only person with the _right_."

"Well I came here to work out some anger I have."

"What do you have to be angry about? You have no right to be angry."

"You prescribe emotions now too?" Spike put one hand on the tomb and held his left hand to his face. He felt like he just collided with a wrecking ball. _Stupid Slayer strength_.

"Shut up. If anyone should be angry it's me. Which I am by the way."

"I could tell by my throbbing head." He gave his ehad a quick shake to make sure he wasn't going to take a ticket to Unconscious Land. "And why are _you_ angry?"

"Maybe it's because you looked at me like I was Medusa when you came home today."

"You haven't been to my house in years so when I walked in I was shocked. That face you saw was shock."

"And horror," Buffy added.

"Why do you always do this?"

"What?"

"You fight with me about the stupidest things."

Buffy moved closer to him, which made him back up a little bit. I guess he wasn't in the move for any punches in the heat of frustration. "How is this stupid? You're the one that tells _me_ you love me and then when you see me you freak out."

"I did not freak out! I looked at you with shock!"

"Whatever." Buffy turned to leave.

"Oh no no no no no," Spike said as he blocked her path. "You are not getting off that easy."

"Getting off what? I thought we were arguing about something stupid."

"You're just fighting with me because you don't want to say what this is really about."

"It's about me being angry at you. Your eighteen year streak of pissing me off is still intact."

Buffy went to move around Spike but he quickly stepped in her way again. "And why are you angry at me?"

"Because you started this. This thing going on between us."

"So you admit there's a thing." Buffy rolled her eyes and continued walking. This time Spike just walked by her side, pleading his case. "I've already taken the very big step and told you how I feel. Why can't you do the same?"

Buffy stopped and looked off to the side. Her right hand fiddled with her stake before she lightly spoke, "It's hard."

"You're making it hard on yourself. I gotta tell you this cat and mouse thing is gettin' pretty old. I can't keep bein' the one that addresses this Buffy."

"What does that mean?"

"That means I want you to decide, no matter what it is, and tell me."

"This is a big thing," she said, as if he hadn't realized.

"Ya know, based on all these arguments and all your frustration with me, I think you already know how you feel." Spike looked at Buffy who was maintaining eye contact with the ground. He then turned and left.

Buffy inhaled deeply and gritted her teeth. She was so frustrated with him. Or maybe it was the fact that he made her realize something she was unable to voice.

The next day at rehearsal, everyone was getting fitted for their costumes. Giles was becoming frantic, realizing his preconceived notions about this day were merely sketches of the real horror it was.

"I said I was a size four. This is a five!" Cordelia yelled from behind a curtain.

"That's why you are being measured Cordelia." Giles removed his glasses and began rubbing his temples.

"And what's with the color? They didn't have any more classy rust colors at the fabric store?"

"Harmony, put down those bells!" Giles ordered. "I told you no."

"Giles, can I talk to you," Buffy requested.

"Is it about your costume?"

"No."

"Great." Giles stepped out of the dressing room. "Harmony wants to sew bells onto her dress so that everyone will know when she enters. I told her that was completely out of the question and would distract the audience. Then she says that that's the point." The English man took a quick look in the guy's dressing room.

"I look like Glenda," Xander said.

"Who?"

"The good witch from the Wizard of Oz. I have puffy sleeves. Why do I have puffy sleeves?"

"It's traditional."

"Traditional where? Munchkin Land?"

Giles rolled his eyes and shut the door. "Yes, Buffy. Sorry."

"It's okay. Uh, I just… I don't think I can be Juliet."

"What?"

"It's just, this thing with Spike-"

"Buffy, this play is going to be performed in two weeks. I am now in the process of fitting people into their costumes and finding them shoes. This is not a good time to tell me that you do not want to play Juliet."

"Should I come back later?" she asked in a sort of childish voice.

"Buffy, as your Watcher I must give you this sound advice for your own good." The Slayer stood and awaited the refined words of her British librarian. "Harmony, drop those bells!" Buffy saw the blonde start running down the hall. "Harmony!" Giles began to run after her.

"Good advice. I'll be sure to right that one down," Buffy said to no one in particular.

Willow stepped out from the auditorium. "Buffy! Have you seen Giles?"

"He just ran after Harmony."

"Is it about the bells?"

"Yeah. Why what's up?"

"Our Mercutio just fell and knocked over a can of red paint and now his costume is pretty much…"

"Red?"

"In the ruined sense." Willow sighed and went back inside.

Buffy put her back against the wall and fell to the floor. _I so don't want to be here. Maybe I can go to the library and write some sort of apocalypse thing in one of Giles' textbooks he always looks at. Oh, but they're usually in a completely different language than English. Damn!_

"Buffy!" a voice called. Her head snapped up to the figure standing over her. It was Giles, who looked like he already called her name a few times. "I need you on stage now."

She put her hands down on the cold floor and pushed herself up. For the next three hours they went through the play, some dressed up, others enjoying their jeans and t-shirts. Buffy tried to keep eye contact with Spike to a minimum. She knew that she was avoiding her true feelings, but she couldn't help it. She was used to the fact that she repressed her feelings. Being the Slayer made her different and it was always hard for her to let people in and open herself up. Her job gave new meaning to the idea of living each day like it was your last.

When Buffy arrived home, after an hour of training and a half hour walk of thinking, she decided she was going to do something about her Spike situation. She wasn't sure what, but she had to do something. "I'll be back in a few," she informed her mom. She treaded across the grass and knocked on her neighbor's door.

"Buffy," the aged woman greeted.

"Hi Anne. Is Spike here?"

"He's in his room. Would you like me to get him for you?"

"Actually, can _I_ go talk to him?"

"Of course." Anne opened the door more and stood to the side.

"Thanks." Buffy stepped over the threshold. She had no idea what she was going to tell him but she was sure the words would just come out. She opened the basement door and made her way down the steps. She could hear him rehearsing his lines for the play. He was actually pretty good.

"I fear, too early: for my mind misgives

Some consequence yet hanging in the stars

Shall bitterly begin his fearful date

With this night's revels and expire the term

Of a despised life closed in-"

"Sorry for interrupting," Buffy said genuinely.

"S'all right. Mind's ready to explode anyway."

Buffy made down the last step and took a quick glance around. "You cleaned."

"Yeah well, I wanted to be prepared for another hit and relocate courtesy of my crazy neighbor."

She laughed, replaying the event in her head. "Dragging you around wasn't very fun for me either."

Spike smirked but quickly returned to the present. "What's going on?"

Buffy let out a deep breath. "I've been thinking a lot and I discovered that, 1. I really hate thinking and 2. I have problems saying how I feel. No matter what the feeling."

"What was your first clue?"

"It's hard for me. You have no idea what it's like. I'm always so scared to let people in because I know what goes bump in the night and the thought of not seeing those I care about again is extremely real. I worry about people. I know that Willow, Oz and Xander know to carry crosses but what happens if a different demon shows up."

"Buffy," Spike intervened.

"Sorry. I just… I want you to understand."

"I get it. I know about the bump in the night things too."

"But another thing I realized," Buffy slowly walked towards him, "is that not telling you that I love you would be one of the stupidest things I could do."

A smile slowly approached Spike's face. "You what?"

"I love you Spike."

"You love me?"

"Are you gonna have me repeat it or are you going to kiss me?"

"I don't know. They're both good."

"Shut up." Buffy moved in and kissed him.

**Author's Note:** One more chapter after this!


	11. Awake and Confused

Chapter Eleven

"Buffy." She heard her name faintly, like a cheesy dream sequence in a movie. It sounded kinda muffled and like it was coming from all angles. "Buffy," she heard again. She opened her eyes expecting to see Spike lying next to her in his bed, instead she found Willow and Xander, looking at her as if through a microscope. "Nice of you to join the conscious," Xander quipped.

Buffy slowly rose, noticing 1.) it was still night time and 2.) she was still in the graveyard. "My head," she spoke, gently rubbing it with her right hand.

"Yeah, I would say even a Slayer's head would hurt even after being whacked in the cronom with an angel's head. Those guys just don't fight fair." Willow had her arm around Buffy's trying to help her up but they both stopped and gave Xander a look of confusion. "I was going for the obvious joke that you were fighting an angel instead of being hit with a statue- nevermind."

"What's a cronom?" Buffy asked.

"I think he meant cranium."

Xander stated, "No, cronom. The brain."

"That would be the cranium," Willow corrected, firmly getting Buffy to her feet.

"Then what's a cronom?"

"Not a clue. Buffy, are you okay?" the red head asked, turning her attention to the recently conscious Slayer.

"Besides the throbbing of my skull and my eyes' desire to stay closed, I feel great. What are you guys doing here?"

"We got ice cream," Xander said with a smile. "And luckily we came across you in time to stop the vamp who was looking to make your neck more holey."

"We used our crosses." Willow and Xander held up the wooden life savers and then tucked them back into their pockets.

Buffy nodded, trying to take everything in, then she remembered, "Did you guys see Spike?"

Xander was taken back by this sudden question. "What? Why?"

"Because I must have dreamed about him or something but we had a conversation here but I don't know if it was real or not."

"I hate it when that happens. Wait, you dream about Spike when you're unconscious now?"

"You say that like I'm unconscious as much as Giles."

"How is he doing in the stats?"

"I think he's up to six now," Willow answered Xander's question.

"He was there too. He was talking about how Harmony was taking bells so she could put them on her clothes and Xander was complaining that he looked like Glenda from The Wizard of Oz."

"That was Sunday," Willow replied, curious if her friend had a little case of amnesia.

"How did you know about the Glenda thing? You think I look like her too?"

"No, I heard you say it."

"You parade around the men's dressing room now?"

"Xander, could you stop with the… Xanderness!" Buffy pleaded. "I get it, you're funny." Buffy started to walk ahead of them while Willow and Xander shot each other a look of 'oh great, a crabby Slayer.'

"I think we should go with recently being knocked on conscious, on top of the only a week until showtime," Willow said, trying to explain Buffy's extreme angry outburst.

"And this whole Spike thing has been gettin' her down. I think it's all him." Xander felt very confident in the fact that he was right. He never liked Spike and the fact that he was making one of his best friend's lives Hell, was just the cherry on top of the sundae. Or would it be the straw that broke the camels back?

"Buffy, do you need help getting home?" Willow asked with caution.

"No, I'll be fine. You two get back home safely okay?" Buffy left without a hug or loving glance.

"Should we re-point out the fact that she would be a dead Slayer if it weren't for us?"

"I think we should just head home and hope she's better by tomorrow. But should we tell Giles about this?"

"Will, if Buffy wants him to know then she'll tell him. I'm not one for interfering with the relationship between a Watcher and his Slayer."

"What about last week, when-"

"So I've done it once."

"There was also that one time when Giles needed to go on a Watcher's trip-"

"Let it go Will."

It was Sunday; only four more days of rehearsal. Not that that was Buffy's only problem. She needed to know what happened with her and Spike. She could've just assumed that the conversation in the graveyard was the only real part, considering she woke up there, but what if she blacked out once she got home and the kissage with Spike really happened and even though she thought it happened in her mind it really happened in reality but it was put into the dream sequence of her memory. Oh, here comes the headache again.

"Buffy, you have rehearsal in half an hour!" Joyce called up the stairs.

She rolled over and looked at her clock. It really was 12:30. Well, 12:32 but same difference. She got up from the warmth and security of her down comforter and made her way to the bathroom.

"Sweetie are you all right? You don't usually- oh my goodness!" Joyce shrieked. She grabbed her daughter's head and turned the right side so she could see it better. "Buffy you have a gash on your head!"

"Oh great. Nothing says Juliet more than a battle wound."

"Are you all right? Is whatever did this dead?"

For the sake of keeping her mother calm Buffy said, "His heart ain't pumping anytime soon… Not that it was in the first place." There was am moment of silence before she requested, "Can I have my head back now?"

"Oh, sorry." Joyce dropped her hands to her side but her eyes kept going back to Buffy's injury. "Maybe you should take a night off from slaying."

"You know I can't do that," Buffy said as she walked into the bathroom. She put some toothpaste on her toothbrush and started to help make her teeth shine.

"But sweetie, you're hurt."

"It'll be gone in like a day. I got the fast Slayer healing."

"Well why don't you let it heal tonight and stay home?"

"Becaw beoble ill wie." Buffy looked at her mom who showed no signs of understanding. She spit the toothpaste remains from her mouth, "Because people will die," then washed her mouth out with water. "I'll be fine. He just got in a good hit is all. No worries." Buffy went into her room and shut the door.

"Does this happen often?" Joyce asked, freely opening Buffy's door.

"Mom, I'm changing!" she exclaimed, covering her chest with her pajama top she removed.

"Oh come on Buffy, I've seen you naked before."

"Yeah when I was sucking on a bottle and topless was in. Now things have developed."

"They're called breasts dear."

"Can we not have the womanly chat right now," Buffy requested, holding her hand up to signal for her mother to stop. She walked over to her closet and pulled out a just-above-knee-length, light gray skirt and salmon, long sleeved shirt. Joyce walked out and left her daughter to change.

Buffy was only a couple minutes late to rehearsal and made it in time for another Xander vs. Cordelia word swap. "You are one of the most pathetic people in this universe Harris!"

"Just because I don't bow down at the sight of you like the rest of your line of Mattel merchandise!"

"I think you sprayed on a little too much Ode de Loser!"

"Well someone had too much bitch in their water!"

"I haven't had any water since nine o'clock this morning!"

"I guess it needed some time to settle!"

"Screw you Harris!"

"You wish!"

"In your dreams!"

"Those would be nightmares!"

"I hate you!"

"I hate you more!"

"What the heck happened?" Buffy whispered to Willow.

"He said 'good morning' and then it just took off from there."

"Will you two please stop this, you're acting like children," Giles interfered.

"Did you hear that Cordy, he complimented you by calling you a human?" Xander said.

"Ya know what Harris, I am gonna-"

"Cordelia please. I can't-" Giles stopped and looked at her hair as if there was something crawling around in it.

"What? Is there something wrong with my hair?" she asked, placing her hands on her head. She then ran off the stage and out the door. "You were right, it works like a charm," Giles informed Xander. "Now, will you please get off the stage so we can get this rehearsal started?"

Buffy walked up the steps and met him before he left. "Giles, have you seen Spike?"

"No I haven't yet, but I need you to get into costume Buffy. We have a new dress for you because Harmony took yours by accident and sewed those bloody bells onto it."

"Whoah, bloody? You're so angry you're pulling out the British words."

"Yes, yes, very funny. Will you go try on the dress now please?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Director sir." Buffy grinned, happy that ugly dress was now gone from her attire forever. Although there was a good chance the new one was worse. She clenched her teeth as she walked into the dressing room. "Hi Mrs. Ferns." She fitted Buffy for her dress last time. Now she was holding a beautiful maroon gown that had a v-neck and silver trim on the bodice.

"Why don't you try this on dear. I used the measurements from the last fitting so there shouldn't be a problem." The forty-three year old woman handed her the dress and Buffy gladly slipped it on. It fit like it was made just for her, which it practically was, but she didn't want to think of it that way. "It looks wonderful on you."

"Thanks." Buffy smiled, knowing too that she looked beautiful. She stepped out into the hallway where Giles was panicking about something but then he stopped once he looked at Buffy.

"You look… you're so…"

"Thank you," she said genuinely.

"Giles, we need you on set!" Willow informed him. He quickly ran to the auditorium, knowing that anything could have gone wrong. "Buffy, you look amazing!"

"I know, isn't it great? I don't have to wear that ugly orangey dress any more."

"Rehearsal is starting!" Giles yelled. He was able to separate Xander and Cordelia again by sitting them on two different sides of the theater. "As you all know, we will be going through the entire play every day this week until Thursday, when there is no rehearsal. Then, Friday will be our opening night. Now I want you all to try your best, don't panic and Willow will be ready to feed anyone their lines. So let's start shall we?"

Oz opened the curtain and the play began.

Buffy watched from the end of the third row on the left of the stage because that's where Xander was seated. "I can't believe I'm in a time out. He never put you in a time out after your fights with Spike." Buffy rolled her eyes, ignoring his venting. "Watcher's pet."

"Xander, do you like Cordelia?"

His mouth was a little open and his eyes looked off to the side. "Are you kidding? Did you see us up there, we were like lions fighting for our domain?"

"Yeah but, some couples show affection that way."

"We are not a couple. We are far from a couple. Whatever is the exact opposite of a couple, take a another step further and then you would find where me and Cordelia stand."

Brent Williams, Lord Montague, finished off his scene with, "Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air,

Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.  
Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow.  
We would as willingly give cure as know,"

Spike stepped onto the stage, making Buffy hold her breath. "Is the day so young?"

Benvolio, as portrayed by the president of the drama club, spoke, "But new struck nine."

"Ay me! sad hours seem long.  
Was that my father that went hence so fast?"

"It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?"

"Not having that, which, having, makes them short." Spike snuck a glance at

Buffy who took full notice of the tactful placement of his glare. She slumped back into her seat, unknowingly mimicking Xander's posture.

After about fifteen minutes, Buffy was on stage, ready to do her own glaring in Spike's general direction.

"That book in many's eyes doth share the glory,  
That in gold clasps locks in the golden story;  
So shall you share all that he doth possess,  
By having him, making yourself no less.

Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love?"

Now, even though Buffy reserved a hatred in her heart just for Cordelia, she had

to admit that she was very good at playing a selfish, gold digging mother. "I'll look to

like, if looking liking move:  
But no more deep will I endart mine eye  
Than your consent gives strength to make it fly." This is when Buffy's eyes

quickly from Spike, second row, sixth seat from the left side, and then back to her over dressed "mother."

The play continued with only a few minor mess-ups here and there. The important thing was that Romeo and Juliet were doing extraordinarily, in their scenes apart, but next was when they met for the first time. Also, in terms of Buffy and Spike, their first time seeing each other since their possible conflict last night, which Buffy was still unsure of its actually occurrence.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand  
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:  
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand  
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,  
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;  
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,  
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

"Have not saints lips and holy palmers too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;  
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take." This was it, THE KISS. Well,

the one of many, but still important. Spike moved in and Buffy moved in as well. Their lips connected for about three seconds and then slowly parted.

_That wasn't horrible_, Buffy thought. _Oh who are you kidding, he's an amazing kisser. Oh, crap I have a line now._ "Then have my lips the sin that they have took."

"Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!  
Give me my sin again." Another kiss. This one lasting a couple seconds longer.

If only Buffy knew how this was going to end.

**Author's Note:** That's it. The end of the story. You can imagine it ending any way you want to. If you want them to get together, then they got together. If you want them to just be friends, then they're friends. Isn't that great? You choose the ending? Okay, I'm totally kidding. I know I said that this would be the last chapter but this is like a little surprise. Like when you bring a twenty-dollar shirt to the register and it rings up for eight dollars (I love that!). Well, you get an extra chapter when you thought there wasn't going to be another one. All right, I'm sorry about the rambling and freaking you out that this was the end. Oh, and for falsely making you think they already got together. Stick around for one more chapter! Will Romeo and Juliet flop or will everyone make it success? Will Buffy and Spike end up together or will Angel swoop in out of nowhere and capture her heart? Will Harmony get to wear her dress with bells? Only I know, but you will soon.


	12. Close Curtain

Chapter Twelve

"Buffy come down here! You were supposed to leave fifteen minutes ago!" Joyce yelled up the stairs. She patted her hands gently against her hair to make sure it was still in place. She went with a more curled than usual look, as suggested by her daughter, and she was actually very happy with it. In the past when Buffy wanted to touch up her mom it included dying her hair different colors.

"Okay, I'm coming." Buffy rushed down the stairs in light blue khaki's made of sweat pant material and a white tank top. "I'm ready, you ready? Whoah, mom you look like you're going to the Oscars."

"It's a big performance."

"I appreciate the enthusiasm mom," Buffy said with a huge smile then urgently said, "you can't wear that."

"Why not?"

"Because it'll be blatantly obvious that you never get out- I mean… it's just going to look weird with you in your slinky black dress while everyone else is in casual wear."

"She can't change or else I'll look stupid," someone said in the kitchen. They stepped out into the hall so Buffy could see them.

"Dad! You came!" she shouted. It took all she had not to jump into his arms and just give him a big bear hug. "And you're wearing a tux."

"We'll be the best dressed parents," he said.

"Spike, you're late. You needed to be at the school-"

"I know mum," Spike replied, frantically looking around his room.

"What on earth are you doing? You just need to arrive, everything you need is at the school."

"No, yesterday I accidentally brought home one of my shirts. I put my coat on over it and completely forgot I was wearing it when I came home and now I can't- found it!" Spike exclaimed. He hugged the shirt and then quickly remembered he needed to get the hell out of here.

"Come on Spike," Anne said, as if reminding him he still needed to leave.

"I'm ready. Let's go!" He pushed his mother out the door and into the car.

At the school everyone was frantic: Willow was rushing from backstage to the dressing room to the make up station and then back to the dressing room, Giles was looking at a clipboard and already had his glasses off, Xander was repeating lines to himself and then gargling water in between (just because he always saw people do that in the movies), and Oz was… well Oz.

Buffy ran inside and gave her parents quick hugs and kisses. "Do they have VIP seats for parents of the star?" her dad asked.

"I don't think so. I think you just have to get here early."

"Will you just let her go get dressed," Joyce asked.

"Sorry. We'll see you after sweetie."

"All right. Bye mom. Bye dad." Buffy darted down the hallway and into the girl's changing room.

"Where have you been!" Mrs. Ferns cried out as if she had been lost. "We must get you ready. Go to make up then come back here. We'll get you dressed and then we'll do your hair." The woman handed Buffy a sheet of paper.

"Got it." Buffy went over to the cafeteria table where a make up station was set up. Two students and two adults were looking from people's faces to pieces of paper which were their blueprints. It was insane. It was like everyone was on Speed and couldn't get things done fast enough. Kinda like when Buffy was punching the clock to save the world. Although this might have been worse. She quickly jumped into the seat next to Cordelia.

"You're late," Cordelia remarked, her eyes closed for shadow.

"Thank you Cogsworth." Buffy handed the girl the paper of what make up she needed and then sat, waiting for instruction.

Spike made his way down the hall and into the men's dressing room. "Spike, there you are," Giles stated. "We've been wondering where you were. You need to get into make up right away and then come back here for your costume- where are you going with that fake bush? It needs to be backstage. Bugger!" Giles pushed past Spike and followed the person dressed in black that was carrying the two dimensional bush.

Spike walked towards the make up station and noticed Buffy was there. Her eyes were closed as the girl ran a brown pencil against her lids. His breath stopped when he realized Cordelia finished, leaving a vacant seat right next to his Juliet (literally). He cleared his throat and sat down.

"Where's your sheet?" the brunette asked.

"My what?"

"The sheet that tells me what to put on you," she said as if he was an idiot.

"I don't have a sheet," he replied as if _she_ was the idiot.

"Who are you playing?"

"Romeo."

The girl picked up a box and started shuffling through the pages. Finally she came across the right one and pulled it out. "Thankfully they have copies." She started with the foundation.

"So how have you been?" he asked, making the first move.

"I've definitely been better," his make up artist answered.

"Not to be a prat, but I was talkin' to her." He pointed to Buffy.

Buffy took a breath before answering, "Nervous. And excited. Nervously excited I guess."

"Or excitedly nervous… wait…" he said, realizing how stupid that sounded.

"Actually I'm really glad you're here. I needed to talk to you about-"

"Done. Here's you sheet. Anyone else need make up?" the girl interrupted. Jonathan moved in and urgently waited for Buffy to get up.

"Okay, well, I need to get dressed but I'll be right back." Buffy walked into the dressing room where Mrs. Ferns was doing a quick sew job on Harmony's dress.

"I think the top of this dress needs to be trimmed to," Harmony suggested.

"Why?"

"Because you can't really see my chest."

"This is Romeo and Juliet Harmony, not Moulin Rouge," Buffy commented.

"All right Harmony, you're all patched up. Buffy, let's get you dressed." Harmony pouted, sad she didn't get her way and Buffy happily ignored her. "Thank you for that. That girl has been talking the entire time I had been sewing her gown."

"Oh believe me, I understand." Mrs. Ferns pulled out the extremely bright red dress that Buffy hated. Thankfully she didn't wear this dress as much as the others but why does have to be so ugly anyway? The other things she wears are so pretty and elegant and this looks like a four year old colored in a picture in a coloring book. It clung to her chest but then just hung, giving her no shape (like an angel you put on top of your tree), and then the sleeves clung to her upper arm but then became bells a little before the elbow. There was also an annoying gold trim around the collar that just looked hideous. _Oh, yeah this is the best dress in the world, in that it's-extremely-ugly-and-I-wish-I-could-burn-it way._

"They're starting," a couple girls spoke in a whisper as they ran into the room. "I think that Jonathan kid's gonna puke."

Jonathan warily stepped out onto the stage and looked out at the huge crowd. It

looked like the whole town was here, or at least what you could fit. He gulped loudly and took a few more steps, finally resting at his mark. Willow was backstage watching with dread, praying within the next minute he will actually speak. Jonathan took a deep breath, closing his eyes quickly as he did so and opened his mouth to speak: "Two households,

both alike in dignity,  
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,  
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,  
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."

Willow took a breath of relief and watched as he finished his speech.

"Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,  
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;  
The which if you with patient ears attend,  
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend." Everyone clapped as he

walked of the stage. Jonathan stopped once he entered the safety of back stage and took numerous breaths. "I did it."

"Good job Jonathan," Willow congratulated.

"And I didn't throw up!" he said with excitement. Unfortunately he got too excited and he fell to the floor.

"Jonathan?… Jonathan?…" Willow grabbed him by the arms and pulled him to a couch that was against the wall. "Thankfully we have two acts to go before he's on again." Sampson and Gregory took the stage like pros and started their dialect:

"Gregory, o' my word, we'll not carry coals."

"No, for then we should be colliers."

"I mean, an we be in choler, we'll draw."

In the hall Buffy went to see Spike but he was gone. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Then she walked towards the men's dressing room, hoping Xander was standing around it somewhere. "Xander," Buffy said, as he got a Coke from the soda machine. "Is Spike in there?"

Xander opened the door and peered in. He pulled his head out and answered, "Yeah."

"Well can you get him for me?"

"He's half dressed. In case you haven't noticed Buffy there is a play going on here and what _is_ that dress?"

"I know, it's hideous."

"It's like the color of drag queen lipstick."

"You have puffy sleeves," Buffy countered. "And a weird… neck thingy. What is that?"

"I don't remember what it's called." He took a sip and then went into the dressing room. Buffy tried to find Spike before the door shut but he must've been behind the rack of clothes.

After about ten minutes Spike came out, fully dressed in a dark red, velvet costume. "Buffy," he said in surprise. "Way to give a man a heart attack."

"Sorry. It's just… I need to talk to you."

"About what love?"

"Us?"

Spike stopped in his tracks and faced her. "Us? I know last night I wanted you to decide quickly but I didn't know it would be this quick. You're kinda a procrastinator."

"About last night, did I, uh, this is gonna seem weird but did I come over to your house?"

"No," he said slowly not sure what she was getting at.

"Ok good. Or not good. Anyway," she said, shaking her head to return to the now. "That subject's pretty much been the only thing on my mind the past couple months and it certainly wasn't a joy ride. I've gotten very frustrated and accidentally punched a hole in the living room wall but thankfully there's a fake plant to help hide that and… I'm rambling, Sorry."

"Spike! Get back here and get your mike!" Willow yelled, and somehow in a nice way.

He hurried himself to the auditorium and hooked himself up. Buffy followed, hoping to finish her thought. "Now, I'm going to turn this on and you can not say anything because otherwise everyone will hear it okay. Red means you can talk, green means you can't. Backstage that is. You can talk onstage with the green light on but not-"

"I got it red." He flicked the switch on and Buffy turned to walk away. Willow grabbed her hand and handed her a mike. Willow attached it to Buffy while she watched as Spike took the stage and captured everyone's glance. _He is so amazing_.

Next was the most anticipated scene of the entire production. Everyone watched the rest just to see the party scene. Romeo and Juliet fully define the phrase "love at first sight" and seal it with a kiss. Everyone waited in anticipation to see how well Buffy and Spike play out the forbidden, heart wrenching love that was so well portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

But no pressure.

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.  
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged." Spike moved in and kissed

Buffy. It was short and sweet but completely short of what Buffy wanted.

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took."

"Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!  
Give me my sin again." He moved in again but this time their tongues touched

and twirled around each other. Buffy put her hand on his cheek and pulled him in closer as if they could kiss any deeper. Everyone was shocked at the passion, considering the completely public hatred they display toward each other. A few sighs of longing were heard form the audience and two stray clappers. Remembering there was still a play to perform, Buffy pulled away.

"You kiss by the book," she said with a small smile. Spike started moving in for another kiss; off script but what the hell did he care.

"Madam, your mother craves a word with you," Anya intervened, making Spike turn to her and take a step back. Buffy looked up at him with a hint of sadness in her eyes and then walked off stage.

"What is her mother?"

"Marry, bachelor,  
Her mother is the lady of the house,  
And a good lady, and a wise and virtuous  
I nursed her daughter, that you talk'd withal;  
I tell you, he that can lay hold of her  
Shall have the chinks." Anya looked out at the audience and smiled; someone

could have been taking pictures.

"Is she a Capulet?  
O dear account! my life is my foe's debt."

Three scenes, an intermission and five scenes later, it was the death scene. How metaphoric of what the real Romeo and Juliet were going through.

"Arms, take your last embrace! and, lips, O you  
The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss." Spike laid his lips against

Buffy's and she remained motionless while her blood rushed from his touch. "A dateless

bargain to engrossing death!  
Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide!

Here's to my love!" He drank the cranberry juice provided in the small vial. He

started to gasp and held his hand towards his chest. "O true apothecary!

Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss," he leaned in one more time, "I die." His body lay limp on the bed next to her.

After about a minute of complete quiet, Buffy's torso shot up from the bed as she took a deep breath. "Where is my lord?

I do remember well where I should be,  
And there I am. Where is my Romeo?"

"Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead.

Come, go, good Juliet,

I dare no longer stay." the friar spoke. The kid was wearing a bald cap with

black hairs drawn on with a black permanent marker. He hustled off the stage as Buffy remained next to her true love.

"What's here? a cup, closed in my true love's hand?  
Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end:  
O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly drop  
To help me after? I will kiss thy lips;  
Haply some poison yet doth hang on them,  
To make die with a restorative." She gently brushed against his mouth, as if she

were kissing the head of a baby. "Thy lips are warm."

"Lead, boy: which way?" someone called from off stage.

"Yea, noise? then I'll be brief. O happy dagger!

This is thy sheath;" Buffy acted as if she had plunged the dagger into her stomach and using a red handkerchief, she made it look as if blood was spilling out of her body.

"There rust, and let me die." She rested her head against Spike's chest as she slowly closed her eyes.

The rest of the scene went off without a hitch. Everyone was on queue and was prepared with their lines, and finally, everyone's eyes rested upon Jonathan as he spoke the famous last words:

"A glooming peace this morning with it brings;  
The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head:  
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;  
Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:  
For never was a story of more woe  
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." He bowed and then the curtain closed.

Everyone quickly cheered and clapped and whistled. The curtain open and people started coming out into the shifts that they were told. The last two of course were Spike and Buffy who received a standing ovation and the loudest roar of satisfaction. They bowed together and then stepped back for the final bow with everyone.

When the curtain closed again all the actors were ecstatic with how well the play was received. Everyone was jumping and hugging and screaming about how awesome they all were. Buffy and Spike hugged each other tightly. "That was amazing!" Buffy exclaimed.

"I know," they parted, "you were incredible."

"_You_ were incredible. Your death scene was so good."

"What about yours?"

"You didn't even see it, you were dead."

"Can't you just accept a compliment?" They smiled brightly at each other but then came back to the reality that there was still somewhat unfinished business between them.

"Spike-"

"Everyone out front!" Willow called. The entire crew swiftly stampeded her as they hurried to the hall to receive their flowers and congratulations from everyone.

"Why can't I finish a sentence!" Buffy yelled.

Out front everyone told Buffy and Spike how great they were and how believable they made the relationship seem. _You have no idea_, they both thought. Half the crowd still had red, puffy eyes from crying. Buffy's mom and dad gave her a big hug and handed her an exuberant bouquet. "Where were you guys hiding this?"

"Your father ran out to get one during intermission. The ones they were selling weren't big enough."

"I'm surprised the rainforest was." She gave them each a big hug.

"Are you coming with us or catching a ride with Willow and Oz."

"I'm riding with Will."

"All right. We'll see you at home. I am so proud of you," Joyce said with one more hug.

Anne kissed Spike on the cheek. "You were breath taking sweetie. Oh, sorry, I got lip stick on ya."

"S'all right mum. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Enjoyed it? It was amazing. I can't wait to see it tomorrow."

Spike smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you later okay?"

"All right." Anne looked at him once more and gave him another hug as if he were leaving the country. "You were great."

Anne also told Buffy how great she was, as did Joyce and Hank inform Spike.

Within an hour the school had quieted down and most the people were gone. Willow and Oz were told to go ahead and leave so Buffy could do some quick patrol and Giles was passed out in the library from exhaustion; Buffy didn't have the heart to wake him up. She covered him with his jacket and went to leave, but stopped when she saw flowers on the counter. She checked the tag and noticed they were from him to her. _You were amazing Buffy. I would expect nothing less from you. Love, Giles._ Buffy smiled and took the bouquet with her, shoving a stake in the middle. _Perfect_.

As she walked down the hall she saw someone coming towards her. "There's no one to interrupt you now," Spike said.

Buffy smiled and stopped in front of him. "No, I guess not."

"So what did you want to say?"

He knew what she wanted to say but she understood that he needed to hear it for himself. "Well, after all this annoying preparation for the play and the-" She was interrupted by his lips pushing against hers.

"Can we skip the preface?" he asked.

"Okay." She looked in his eyes for a moment and then said, "I love you Spike."

Some how the smile on his face became bigger. "There, was that so hard?"

"Yes," she said with a smirk. She kissed him deeply, her tongue massaging his as she held him closer. "Wanna come slay with me?" she asked.

"Way to ruin the moment."

"How did I ruin the moment? What's not romantic about slaying vampires and demons?"

"Are you asking because you don't want me to feel left out or because you really do want me to come with you?"

"Do you care?"

"Nope." He held his hand out for her to take, which she gladly did. Their fingers intertwined and Buffy rested her head against his arm as they exited the school.

THE END (really)

**Author's Note:** Yey! I hope you liked it! And, for those who asked, if you want to read my other stories just click on my name and you'll get a list.


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